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[Kagerou]

The docks weren’t that crowded in Kagerou’s view but the orchestra of various noises described otherwise. Merchants, tourists, officers, lined up the place each busy with their own agenda. The quaint town still fascinated the young tourist especially up close.

‘Well first things first. I gotta find a place to stay.’ Kagerou pondered, brushing off the noise around him. He looked up at the cloudless sky, as spears of morning light peered on his face with their golden magic. Going west as the boatsman said meant that he had to walk the opposite way from where the sun rose.

“You are new here aren’t you?” Kagerou was about to take his first step when his attention was caught by a stranger that suddenly appeared at his side.

“I am indeed,” the young hunter responded, carefully as he turned to face the inquisitor. He doesn’t seem like a sailor nor a police officer but the stranger’s outfit denotes that he’s someone of importance.

“Oh and do not fret I’m merely a customs officer. As such I’m here to direct you to the Lord of Council’s office for your visa,” the stranger briefly explained, somehow putting the young hunter at ease. “On that note, follow me if you may.” he invited, leading the young hunter towards an old carriage.”

The stranger’s kind gesture somehow brought some doubt to Kagerou but deemed to have no other choice, the young hunter went in the carriage after him.

“Now where are my manners. The name’s Polka, Polka Sommers. Well normally we just give directions to tourists but you’re in luck young man as I have business at the office myself so I thought I’d bring you with me.” Polka detailed, in a delightful manner as the carriage started to move.

“Well I’m Kagerou,” the young hunter responded in courtesy of Polka’s introduction. “And I do thank you for giving me the ride. That’s very kind of you sir.”

“Ah that’s nothing...err..Kagerou is it? Well it’s every man's duty to help each other.” Polka chuckled, his hand waving in a dismissive gesture.

The young hunter let off an awkward smile, somehow defiant of the man’s ideal given his unfortunate background. He wanted to look outside the carriage but deemed it impolite to stray his attention off his companion.

“So where did you sail from if I may ask?” The man inquired, keeping a charming smile that somehow caused Kagerou some discomfort.

“Well I...came here from Syliras.” he lied, knowing that revealing his Sunberth origin would earn him a somewhat unpleasant reputation. His lack of knowledge about the said town however, somehow made the young hunter rethink of his declaration but it’s all too late to take his words back.

“Ah my brother’s a Syliran Knight! I still remember…” Polka recounted, continuing with quite a long story about his sibling.

Kagerou on the other hand, merely forced another smile to mask the tension that has begun to consume his mind. Should this man ask anything more about Sylira, his pretense would most likely be found out. He simply nodded at the customs officer from time to time to somehow show his engagement but his thoughts wandered on how he could get away with another lie.

“...and oh funny that you came here by the bay instead of the pass by the mountains.” The man concluded his story and got back at Kagerou with a bit of suspicion.

To his horror, his unplanned lie did come up with some flaw, a difficult one at that. It took him quite some time to muster his courage and was about to open his mouth to respond when the customs officer spoke up.

“What brings you here by the way? And well,...were you in the army as well?” Fortunately, Polka seems to have brushed that off yet came up with another inquiry, his eyes fixed at the bowcase on the man’s hip.

“Oh no I’m not. Well...I'm just kind of a bow enthusiast. A hunter to be exact.” Kagerou responded carefully, but seemed to have given more information as he intended.

“I see. Well ran out of creatures to hunt then?” Polka humored, his chuckle coming out like a drunken man.

“Of course not,” Kagerou laughed in response, still uneasy at his perilous speech. “I just wanted a more relaxed town to stay for a while. You know how crowded it is in Syliras right?”

“Right. Well you’ve come to the right place. A very relaxed and well...little populated town.” The laughter continued with the young hunter still burdened with nervousness. “Oh and by the way if you’re staying here...errr...for a while. You might need a map,” Polka noted, as his hand navigated inside a brown leather briefcase. “Ah here we go,” He exclaimed, pulling out a rolled parchment, “I would have given you this for free but well, it’s government property so I’d have to sell this one for only two gold mizas.” the customs officer continued, as he handed the map to Kagerou.

“Oh thanks just what I needed!”, the young hunter responded a bit hesitant at the offer. But not wanting to cause any trouble, he nevertheless took the map and handed the customs officer the required gold coins.

“You wouldn’t want to be lost around here now, would you?” Polka smiled, devilishly or perhaps that’s how the young hunter perceived it to be.

“Of course not,” again, he simply responded with a vague laughter as he tucked the map inside his backpack.

“And there are lots of places you can visit while you’re in town. Say for instance…” Polka detailed yet another long speech about a couple of sites around Zeltiva.

[Kagerou]

“...and oh I think you have already fancied the forest outside of town. You are after all a hunter right?” Polka continued, babbling more about the city as the carriage peacefully passed through the streets of Zeltiva. His last statement however, was followed by a brief silence.

“Ah yes I am a hunter as I…” Kagerou responded swiftly, the moment he realized that the customs officer paused for a response. His response however, was cut short as Polka continued with his lengthy narrative.

“...Oh that is actually part of the Zatoska Mountains. Well, no one really hunts there nowadays since it has been known to be inhabited by dangerous creatures, a result of some mad wizard experimenting with wildlife as they say. In fact, we believe that the madman’s laboratories still lie somewhere deep in the forest,” he went on, then moved closer to the hunter, toning his voice down to a whisper upon uttering his last statement.

“...and of course there are those who are brave enough to try and hunt in the woods…” he continued, leaning back at his seat and his voice rising back to its rather loud pitch. “...for instance my brother...the one who is now a Knight of Syliras used to hunt in that forest. He surely is the bravest one in the family and perhaps in the whole of Zeltiva. But of course that’s merely my own opinion.” he laughed, in amusement of his own speech. “Oh I actually have his toolkit here with me.” The man yet again reached out for his briefcase, pulling out a small leather pouch. He opened it to show a hunting knife, a roll of thin rope, some vials, a couple of snares and what seemed like a folded camouflage tarp. “Oh how I missed that brother of mine. He gave this to me thinking that I might follow his footsteps but well…” he paused, holding the pouch close to his chest, his eyes moving upward as if contemplating something. “Ah I think it might be better if I sell this to you instead. You can have this much for just 25 gold mizas.” the customs officer exclaimed, partnered by an alluring smile as he offered the toolkit to Kagerou.

“Well that’s so kind of you but are you sure? That seemed to be a precious gift from your brother.” Kagerou chuckled awkwardly, realizing the obvious sham at the deal. ‘He wouldn’t have brought the kit if he isn’t that interested in hunting now, did he.’ Kagerou mused, keeping his masked smile as a gesture of courtesy for his companion. Or perhaps a facade of his nervous state. After all, the probable exposure of his lie is still at a critically high rate.

“Nah. It won’t be as necessary for me as it is for you.” Polka cajoled, leaving the pouch by the hunter’s side.

“Well yeah of course. Glad you had that with you. Now I don’t have to search the town for one.” Kagerou responded, or more likely, a statement to convince himself after being caught in a rather difficult deal. Nevertheless, he did pick up the toolkit, then pulled out the mentioned gold pieces from his pocket and handed them over to Polka. His lips tightened, a forced smile carved in his face like a stubborn mask that won’t come off.

“It really hurts me to part with my brother’s gift but I’m glad it has now found its way to a more suitable owner.” the customs officer sighed, yet obviously hiding his delight of another successful deal.

The hunter could only cringe in disgust which he tried to conceal with a dramatic show of compassion. Disappointed at his own act however, he tried to divert the topic. “Oh do you think I might get rejected from staying here?” he asked instead, somehow in hope that the man could help him.

“Very unlikely I think. Well unless of course you’re a wanted criminal.” Polka joked, “And there’s no way you could be one right?”

“Oh no of course I am not such!” the young hunter exclaimed in his defense, waving both his hands to emphasize his denial.

“Of course you’re not. A fine gentleman like you couldn’t be a wicked person,” the customs officer laughed, amused at Kagerou’s reaction. “Though I suggest you tell the councilor that you arrived by the mountain pass if you insist on hailing from Syliras. That would make things less complicated.” the customs officer smiled, as the carriage finally came to a halt.

For a moment, the young hunter remained speechless, bemused at the man’s advice. He certainly knew that Kagerou was lying about his origin but what puzzled the young man was the fact that the customs officer did not dig further into that. Could he have known him somehow? A plausible fact considering that the man knew exactly what he needed. “Thanks.” a single word is all that he could utter in response as the customs officer went ahead of him out of the carriage.

“Like I said, men ought to help each other. And well, I’d like to escort you inside but I’m afraid my path is on another site. Enjoy your stay young man and do be careful hunting in the woods. I wouldn’t want to hear the news about a tourist’s death.” Polka chuckled and bid his farewell, walking away without looking back at the young hunter.

Kagerou stepped out of the carriage and kept his eyes at the customs officer for a while. He knows a con man if he sees one but now, he wasn’t sure what the man’s real intentions are. He did get what he needed and he is where he ought to be rather than a lost soul trying to find his way. A soft smile of amusement escaped his lips, as he turned his head towards the building before him. He made his way towards the office building as his mind continued to wander about the strange man that he just met.

[Kagerou]

Inside the Zeltivan building, the young hunter was greeted by an interior of intricate design. Marble walls and floor accented the building’s elegant ambience.

“Welcome to the Lord of Council’s office. How may we help you today?” The hunter was welcomed by a delightful sweet voice of a young receptionist, standing behind a hotel-like reception desk.

“Well, someone told me to drop by here for a visa,” he responded promptly, as he walked towards the young lady.

“Ah you can get that from the Lord of Council upstairs. You can find his office at the end of the hallway,” the receptionist informed, with a full smile.

“Thanks,” the hunter bowed, wasting no time to make his way towards the mentioned office.

Being the only room at the end of the hallway, the young hunter could easily spot the place. The door was already ajar, tempting the young hunter to just help himself inside. Taking a deep breath, he knocked at the ajared door.

“Welcome to the Lord of Council’s office. How may we help you today?” the same script but from a glum, hoarse voice welcomed the hunter who appeared to be the only visitor at the moment. Kagerou could easily notice at least six large bookshelves, all neatly arranged parallel to each other and separated by three sections.

“Uhmm I’m here for a visa,” he responded promptly, as he made his way towards the Lord of Council’s desk.

A moment of silence ensued, as the man reached for a drawer under his desk and navigated through a couple of forms. As he sat down, the young hunter noticed a small nameplate stand, holding the words Tranaris Johnson which would obviously be the name of the one greeted him.

“Alright so what’s your full name?” Tranaris began the moment he pulled out a form from his drawer. The man’s melancholic face somehow placed Kagerou with unease, yet better than a con man’s alluring smile. The man appeared to be in his late sixties, made obvious by his dry and wrinkled face. His straggly white hair somehow adds up to his elderly look along with his slightly grumpy attitude.

“That would be Kagerou Taira sir,” he answered, trying as much as he can to be polite and careful with the words. A series of personal queries continued the inquisition, which went smoothly by far.

“So where did you come from?” That question now is what somehow triggered some tension yet again with the young hunter.

“Syliras.” A very brief and careful response left Kagerou’s lips as his fingers started to mildly jitter.

“And what’s the purpose of your visit at Zeltiva?” the lord of council continued, his eyes fixed at the form as he wrote down the young hunter’s answers.

“Polka, well, a dear friend of mine invited me over.” Kagerou smiled, lucky to quickly think of a good response thanks to the customs officer that he just met.

“Alright, just sign over here.” Luckily for Kagerou, the man does not seem to delve further into details. He let off a sigh of relief as he received a pen, handed by the man and signed the filled-up form.

Again, a moment of silence ensued, as Tranaris reached for another form. “I need your sign here as well.” the man instructed, with Kagerou properly complying with the request.

Tranaris affixed his signature as well, ending with a stamp being placed at the lower right of the document.

“Here, be sure to always bring that with you and take good care of it while you’re here. And welcome to Zeltiva.” seemed like a nice greeting but the man’s grumpy voice showed otherwise.

With his business seemingly done, Kagerou stood up and offered a bow in courtesy of the man. Tranaris on the other hand, sunk his attention back to another document, seemingly filling it up with whatever details it needed.

Without further response from the lord of council, Kagerou decided to turn and leave the room.

Surprisingly, a couple more people showed up at the receptions area the moment Kagerou climbed down. The receptionist now seemed to be busy at several requests in contrast with her less active state when the young hunter entered the building.

Having fulfilled his purpose, he hastily made his way outside. The sun has now risen higher over the horizon, yet the air remained crisp showing that it’s already late in the morning but still a bit far from noon.