“Excuse me, sir.” Markus says as he walks up to an old man sitting on a bench. “I'm wondering if you can help me.”
The old man, dressed in overalls and a work jacket, looks up to Markus. He gives a crooked smile showing off several missing teeth. He says “Ay, maybe I can boy.”
Markus smiles back at the old man. He points to the inn right behind the bench and says “I'm not from around here, and I'm staying at this inn. I've run into some bad luck though. Some fellas snatched my wallet outta my hand. Where can I report the crime?”
The old man's eyes grow big. “Terrible to hear. Find the sheriffs office down the road.” A wrinkly hand points south as he continues saying “Just a few blocks that way. You'll see a big sign with a star. Probably see a few worthless deputies outside too.”
An eyebrow raises on the face of Markus. The last comment caught his attention, and he can't help asking “What do you mean?”
“This entire town is suffering. The whole region really. Most of the young men here... sent north to die just like everywhere else. Worst yet, a criminal group has decided to make Montillo their base. Murders, rapes, extortion, and more.” The old man gives a heavy sigh “Sheriff doesn't care, or gods, works for them. His deputies are boys barely of age. All worthless.”
Standing up, the old man stretches a bit as he turns to walk away. “The Countess hasn't left her estate in years. She's no help, even as things worsen. This whole region is burning young man... take care of yourself.”
Markus watches the old man walk away, before disappearing from view around a corner. “Thanks for the information old timer.” He says under his breath, turning around to the direction pointed out.
Eclair was listening to the conversation from above. She flies closer to Markus' face and says “That's scary to hear all those things.”
As Markus walks along the sidewalk with Eclair near him, he responds “Ya... not everything seems as it is.” He then reaches toward his lower back, and begins rubbing the area. The pistol was still secure and hidden from view.
Moving along the streets of Montillo becomes a small adventure for Eclair and Markus. Eclair is constantly distracted with shop windows full of clothes or food on shelves. She zips around near Markus, occasionally surprising other people walking by. There are only a few glances toward the duo, and most passersby simply don't care.
Eclair's curiosity eventually rubs off onto Markus. Even he begins to stop and stare inside the windows of the various shops. A confection store full of children, a busy salon with chatty women, and a clothing store with modern blue jeans on display are just some of the shops seen.
A post office style building is soon passed by. Markus can see a small line inside and people walking out with mail in their hands. He glances up above to the right of the main entrance, spotting a small door with a deck. Two lady fae walk out having a conversation, and fly off from the deck area.
“Oh good, the post office. I can deliver the mail for Jonathan here later.” Eclair remarks to Markus.
They stop to look at the activity going on inside, but Markus' attention is drawn away by the sound of an engine. He looks further down the sidewalk and sees a busy intersection. In the middle, a young boy in a bright vest is directing traffic. Horses and carriages mostly, but one of the very old style cars is waiting for its turn to move across.
The vehicle receives the okay to move, and drives off out of view. As Markus watches it go by, he sees the sign for the sheriff office on the other side of the street. He gets Eclair's attention saying “Okay, we found the sheriff. When we get inside let me do the talking.”
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The duo moves their way to the edge of the street, waiting for the young traffic cop to let pedestrians walk across the road. The sheriff building is on the corner, made of brick and gray stone. A young boy can be seen smoking a cigarette as he leans against the wall by the front door.
Markus assumes he's a deputy, but quickly notices peculiar things about his outfit while waiting. A tan long sleeve shirt and matching pants, but what was unusual was the leather and metal armor vest worn. The same armor type is on his legs and arms. A short sword is attached to his waist and a small crossbow weapon is hanging off an arm.
The assumption Markus made about how the deputies and sheriff would look was completely wrong. He was expecting old style western clothes and a gun. The pedestrian signal is finally given and everyone crosses the street. Markus walks right up to the young man with Eclair hovering beside him.
The young boy can't be older than eighteen, with short brown hair and eyes. Markus is surprised, but carries on to ask “Hey kid, I need to speak with the sheriff. Is he inside?”
“On my break.” The kid replies back, taking a puff of the cigarette and blowing the smoke in the face of Markus. “And don't call me kid, or I'll toss ya in the gutter. Smack your little fairy girlfriend too.”
The eyes of Markus darken at the words from the young boy. He slowly reaches out a hand, and gently pats the kid on the shoulder. Suddenly, Markus squeezes tightly as he leans in closer. The young boy is taken off guard and feels the strength of the grab. Markus stares deep into his eyes, saying “God help you if you try.”
Markus releases his hold, and gives a warm smile to the young boy. He walks toward the door and signals to Eclair to follow him inside the building. As the pair vanishes inside, the kid starts rubbing his shoulder. There is a tinge of pain, even through his armor.
The sheriff office feels smaller on the inside than one would believe by looking at the building. The front door leads into a small lobby with chairs and benches. A desk right in front of the door has another young looking kid sitting down with his legs propped up on the desk. Same outfit as the other outside. A hallway to the left seems to lead to offices, while a hallway to the right has mostly jail cells or storage.
“Hey. I need to make a report on a body. Where's the sheriff?” Markus asks the deputy in the lobby. Immediately, he stands up with excitement.
“No shit! A body! I'll get Luca for you.” The young kid replies, then walks down the left hallway into an office. After a few minutes the deputy and a much older man walk out of the office.
“I'm Luca, the sheriff. Never seen you around, but what's this about a body?” Luca says to pair. The man is as tall as Markus, skinny and gaunt looking with brown hair and green eyes. Wearing the same out as the deputies, but he has a badge on his chest.
“That's right. I went hunting to the east. Happened to see a poor guy dead in the forest. Figured I'd tell the proper folks about it when I got back.” Markus says with a flat tone, trying to hide the lies in his voice.
“Really... Where at? What happened.” Luca responds. He seems to be gauging the story being provided.
“Just north of the old traveling inn out there. Seems the man stepped inside that choking mushroom patch in the area. I wasn't brave enough to risk getting closer.” Markus replies, then exaggerates shaking his hands in a dismissive way.
“By the gods! I swear that field is nothing but problems. Student or researcher ignoring all the signs I bet.” Says Luca as he turns to the deputy beside him. “Get Nickols and Evers, go to the undertaker so we can borrow a carriage and coffin. He should have protective equipment too.” The young kid nods and heads out the door. As he steps outside, Luca yells “Don't forget the alcohol to kill the spores!”
Markus and Eclair look at each other. She smiles at him with approval for accomplishing the promise to her. Luca then pulls out a notebook and starts writing. After a while he looks up, saying “Thank you for the information, but I'm a busy man. I won't bother filling a report because there is too much going on.” Luca then turns around and walks back into his office.
The pair leave the sheriff building, with none of the deputies in sight. As Markus is about to say something, he notices the enchanted ring activate. The magical tether is shining, and it keeps getting activated once it nearly vanishes. After a few minutes, Aurora flies over a nearby rooftop. She spots the pair, and heads directly for them.
“All done?” Aurora asks.
“Yup. We just finished. How'd it go with you?” Eclair replies before Markus can do it.
“Found a good weapon shop nearby. Some places to get a map too. Never saw Versa as I got around town.” Aurora says to the pair. She then points up the street saying “Weapon shop is right over there if you wanna go there first.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Markus says with a smile. “We can fill you in on what happened.”
The group begins to head up the street, following the directions of Aurora. They blend into the various crowds walking the busy area of Montillo. As the group walks away from the sheriff building, Luca can be seen from his office window. He watches them for a moment, then moves out of sight.