Entries From the Journal of Moreno Dionisio, Part Four
Entries From the Journal of Moreno Dionisio, Part Four
Day Fifty-Two:
My research into the fabled I’Ordre du Verrat continues. It seems I am not the only one that has attempted to recover this lost treasure over the years. An explorer of sorts, perhaps just a treasure hunter by the name of Daeyor Brokai made an attempt to locate the wreck several years ago. Apparently, his research and theories were very credible and he amassed a small crew to set out and locate the wreck. Unfortunately, they were never seen or heard from again… If we can find where he was headed and recover his notes, this may be an excellen…
“Ah! Greetings Moreno! I do apologize, am I interrupting?” Inquired the man.
“No, of course not Hukhar.” Replied Moreno as he closed his journal and continued:
“What have you brought back?”
Hukhar shrugged a bit and tossed a small leather-bound pouch onto the table. The sounds of coins clinking around could be heard as the pouch came to a rest. Moreno eyed the pouch for a few moments and looked up to Hukhar.
“Looks a bit light to me, no?” Inquired Moreno. Hukhar sighed a bit as he took a seat at the table next to Moreno.
“Gracie refuses to pay our mark-up on the crates of reagents. She insists that she has a supplier that sells them for what she is willing to pay.” Hukhar took a bottle of wine that was in front of them, poured himself a mug and continued:
“Gracie’s son, a man by the name of Yaudan has been very unhelpful as well.” Moreno sat back in his chair for a moment and pondered. After several minutes, Moreno stood up and said:
“Come Hukhar, we will go and pay them a visit. Do pay attention, I feel an issue such as this is something you can handle yourself in the future.”
Moreno and Hukhar departed the misty cave in the swamps and headed in the direction of Papua. The sun was still a few hours away from setting, just enough time to navigate the treachery of the wetlands and make it to the city under the cover of darkness.
After a few hours of walking, the two had reached the outskirts of Papua. Moreno and Hukhar drew their hoods to conceal their identities and continued onward paying careful attention to any potential guards or witnesses.
“The guards should be heading to the barracks any moment. This will give us a short window of time before the next shift arrives.” Whispered Moreno to Hukhar. Hukhar nodded softly in acceptance as the two continued and were eventually at the front of the Reagent Shoppe.
“Let us head inside, shall we?” Inquired Moreno. Hukhar grinned and followed Moreno into the shop.
“Oh hello there, I do apologize but we are closing soon.” Said a man that was behind a counter strewn with vials, potions and bottles. Hukhar glanced over to Moreno who nodded softly. After a few moments, Hukhar drew down his hood and looked over towards the man.
“I… I told you to get out of here! I am not paying you a coin more than what I already have!” Said the shopkeeper.
“Ah, you must be Yaudan? It is good to meet you!” Said Moreno. Yaudan looked over towards Moreno and inquired:
“And who are you supposed to be monk?”
Moreno chuckled softly to himself before drawing down his hood and replying:
“I am the supplier of your reagents. Hukhar here tells me your last payment was a bit short?” A now visibly angry Yaudan walked from behind the counter and up to Moreno; staring him in the face mere inches away. He then grabbed Moreno by the collar of his robe and pulled him closer. As Hukhar was about to intervene, Moreno raised a hand.
“And what exactly are you going to do if I don’t pay what you are asking?” Inquired Yaudan. Moreno smirked as he stared in the eyes of Yaudan. In almost an instant, Moreno used his elbow to break Yaudan’s hold on his robe. After stumbling a few chaotic steps, Yaudan found himself on a knee with his arm painfully locked behind his back by Moreno.
“Well, I suppose if you are not going to pay, we will have to take back our supplies.” Replied Moreno. He quickly pulled Yaudan upright by his locked arm and forcefully pushed him into a display case that contained several different potions. The sound of breaking glass and furniture was enough to alert the shop’s owner Gracie from the other room.
“What about these over here?” Inquired Moreno as he forcefully broke another display case using Yaudan’s forehead. As Gracie entered the room, she was greeted by seeing her bloodied son Yaudan being thrown across the shop and crashing onto a third display case.
“Yaudan no! Stop this! Stop this immediately!” Shouted Gracie. Moreno turned around and started to walk towards Gracie; motioning for Hukhar to continue pummeling Yaudan.
“You are going to pay what we ask for on these deliveries. Do you understand me?” Moreno angrily inquired as he stood in front of a terrified Gracie. Gracie’s eyes started to well up as she observed Hukhar beating a semi-conscious Yaudan.
“Yes! Yes, just please stop! I will pay!” Shouted Gracie as she began sobbing. Hukhar stood up and looked over to Moreno who nodded in acceptance. Gracie then ran over to Yaudan and held his battered unconscious body as she cried. Surrounded by broken glass, blood, vials, bottles and spilled mixtures, Moreno and Hukhar once again donned their hoods and walked over towards the door. Moreno turned and looked to Gracie:
“It looks like you’ll need to replenish your stock. We expect payment in full next time, or…” Said Moreno as he motioned to a groaning Yaudan.
As the two left the shop and disappeared into the night, several moments later a third patron entered the shop. As the hooded individual inspected the damage and observed Gracie comforting Yaudan, she removed her cloak, walked over, and took Gracie’s hand. Looking to a terrified Gracie, she spoke:
“Moreno will pay for this.” Said Roysia Avelot.