Island The Azure City, Chongqing

[Einsauer]

Shaarib's carnage continued to befall the undead masses, starting with a glistening spear crafted of pure water. The liquid spear jettisoned straight through the Jiangshi preparing the powerful kick; halting the creature's momentum to a stand-still. Rather than getting caught, the unique projectile punched clean through and into another one, piercing into the monster's chest before erupting into a very small, centralized explosion inside the Jiangshi.

The zombie in the air, now with a complete halt in momentum, fell straight down and fell directly into the upturned mouth of the giant Jiangshi. Within a blink of an eye, the small Jiangshi disappeared out of existence and fell within the maw. Two of the Jiangshi were dispatched (one devourer, one erupted) from the undead ranks, with only two words spoken by their skilled, Skypiean assailant.
The giant beast kept its gut upturned, ready to eat Shaarib should he fall; instead the marine swooped down behind the beast and flapped his fiery wings towards the Devourer.

Transmigration : Flaps his wings and blast his opponent away
DPR: A, requires 61 mastery and strength ==> 5+3+2 ==> 10. Large Country Level

The broken monster was shoved with a large gust of wind; for a moment it seemed pointless but then all in one motion the bloated beast lifted off the ground and up into the air; the beast soared over the heads of its smaller colleagues. The sickly song followed behind the beast before smashing into the water on the opposite side of the sinking boat. The song continued for only a moment before it was replaced with an un-human gurgling as it sank beneath the surface.
And with that, Shaarib had taken destroyed another Devourer Jiangshi.

A single Jiangshi, with eyes aglow with sickly green, observed from below. It seemed ready to launch another Jiangshi up towards the phoenix-man; but with unexpected intelligence, not only ceased their attack but ordered the others to halt as well. It motioned towards the ship, and wordlessly the undead swarm began pushing back towards the hole in the ship. Met with a seemingly indestructible white, iron wall of sorts; the creatures bounced to the deck of the ship to search for more low-level victims.

The special Jiangshi stood, didn't bounce, in place. It watched Shaarib with an eerie calmness and a relative silence (compared to the horrific moaning that filled the air mere seconds ago). It stood between its allies and Shaarib, as if to say: "You'll have to go through me first."

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# His mission was done, now that the beast was dead, Shaarib needed to take care of the rest before they choose to go on the ship. Lucky as he was, the Jiangshi ran to the ship, using the iron cloud to propel themselves on the main bridge. A little smile appeared on the birdman's face, he could fight without restraint on the ship . The damn vessel was going to sink either way. The birdman tried to follow them but surprise surprise, one of the zombies decided to wait. The aura around it was different, for one, his eyes were shining, vibrant green. The smog tailing the beast was dissipating, the air was getting clear a little. Some did stay around the new contender. Shaarib's instincts were telling him to not consider this one as the same.

- " Ma, ma... If you were the leader, you should've declared it long time ago..." chirped the bird before taking out a feather from one his wings and into a cloud of fire. With a swirl of hand, the fire begun spiraling to the feather. With an hand movement, SHaarib threw the feather towards the zombie, and the fire followed suit. Both forming a large fireball. "
Même si les lendemains sont vides de promesses


"Rien ne pourra empêcher mon retour
Afin de devenir la rosée qui baigne ces terres
Épargne les sables, les mers, les cieux
Je vous offre ce sacrifice silencieux."

Spoiler

Danse-Plummes: An attack where Marco uses his outstretched index and middle fingers to make a dense, flaming swirl of phoenix feathers in front of him, remotely shaping it into a large fireball that he, upon uttering the attack's name, launches straight toward an enemy in a thrust-like, concussive attack.
DPR: S, requires 81 mastery and strength ==> 5+2+4 ==> 11

Loveless Act VI

On the bridge, the jianshi found their target soon enough. The old man was done lamenting, duty was the death of love. As much as he loved the kid, Hajib's emotions weren't a factor here. The Vice-Admiral shook his head, and unclenched his fists. Let out a deep breath and his face lost all traces of the any turmoil. Murmurs could be heard. All the concerns he had were addressed to the Goddess. Everything she did was good. He had lived his whole life trusting her choices, walking on th designated path. It it meant that his and his grandchild should be parallels and never cross, so be it. Shaarib was the trial, if his relation with Shaarib was the thing he had to sacrifice for Justice to reign, to repay the Goddess for all the blessing she gave to an orphan years ago, so be it.

-" Once again, you are lost little birds...I shall welcome you all and free your souls once and for all..."

 

[Einsauer]

- " Ma, ma... If you were the leader, you should've declared it long time ago..." chirped the bird before taking out a feather from one his wings and into a cloud of fire. With a swirl of hand, the fire begun spiraling to the feather. With an hand movement, SHaarib threw the feather towards the zombie, and the fire followed suit. Both forming a large fireball.

The single Jiangshi watched the technique, with a mysterious fervor; its pupiless eyes locked onto every minor detail to Shaarib's physique as it carried out the mystical attack that was being prepared and used on him. The undead figure bounced into the air in an attempt to dodge but was engulfed from the waist down and pulled fully back into the flames.

The body darkened beneath the blanket of mystical flames; eerily the Jiangshi's sickly green eyes managed to glow brighter than the flames, poking through, still watching from behind the fiery veil...The body, now on the ground and quickly deteriorating, dragged its gaze from Shaarib to the brightening skyline-

The green eyes squinted when met with the glow of the morning sun. It looked back to Shaarib one last time before disappearing into a wisp of black smoke and twirling embers, leaving behind only the flames that had been applied by the phoenix.

The Jiangshi aboard the boat moved for the elder, until their fate followed their supposed leader's. The slowly peeked over the railings of the ship and coated the zombies in light- Quickly, their bodies erupted into smoke; interestingly, even those out of the direction view of the sun erupted still. Individual pieces of clothing or dismembered limbs belonging to the zombies vanished as well, even the pieces that were beneath the deck of the ship: down to even the smallest drops of undead ichor.

All evidence of the Jiangshi dematerialized as day took over the Azure City... Leaving only a sinking marine ship, injured marines, and a mildly scorched dock.

A single toll of a gong echoed out from far away, possibly signaling the end of night to the citizens. Night was over...

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# Sun has risen and the " Goddess's Sword" has sunken in the deep end of the sea. Hajib's unit went on to the World Government's embassy, attracting looks from the citizens. The soldiers kept their heads high, they had on their backs the supplies they were able to save, and others were helping the wounded walk. Their first night in Azure City was a disaster. Morale was low, they weren't able to save their vessel and while nobody was talking, the soldiers missed Vice-Admiral Hassan. Usually, he would be the one throwing jokes here and there but he did not follow Hajib and his crew. After the zombies turned into dust, the younger sat on the ground a lit a cigarette. He did not speak much, he only said he was going to wait before going back. They all knew he didn't want to be around the Elder. Hajib too did not say much, he gave out instructions and began walking away. The old man did not look back once, the zombie they had hidden away burned too like the others, they had no proof of the assailants's presence. Vlad took a step back from the group and spoke with Shaarib for a few minutes before leaving too. They kept spiraling to the top of the hill, going from tunnel to tunnel until they arrived at the embassy. Some were happy, they were finally able to sleep after a long day. Others were preoccupied with the incoming mission, their stay had begun with citizens prompting them to leave and ended with some parts of the port destroyed.

- "We are doomed..." Muttered one of the soldiers.

Hajib had opened the doors of the embassy using too much strength. He went past the workers and came to the main desk, a grimace on his face, he was ready to destroy everything.

- "Miss... It's time the ambassador and I speak with each other...I'm afraid, I won't be patient, not when it nearly cost the life of my men." said Hajib, speaking more about his relationship with his grandchild than anything else

On the other side of the city, a ship had docked into the harbor. A bridge was immediately put out, and an escort came down and formed two separate lines. Each at the garde-à-vous to welcome their leader. It didn't take long for Shaarib to appear and walk on the wooden structure. The skypiean had his hands in his pockets, a scowl on his face, he kept walking until he was on the main bridge. With each steps, he was recovering his joy, it had been months since Shaarib set foot on Naglfar. The Vice-Admiral looked around and saw the welcoming party. The soldiers of the 169th had formed a circle around their chief waiting for a reaction from him. The birdman mind went blank, he took in the faces he saw again. Some were there from the start other faces were new but mostly trough the crowd he was seeing his children. The skypiean passed an hand through his braids and took a deep breath. He had too many things to say. He wanted to ask for their forgiveness for his sudden departure, for how he treated them but the words were stuck. Unlike his grandfather, his soldiers understood him perfectly. SHaarib smiled and simply said.

-"Children... Daddy's home !" and the crowd erupted

 

[Einsauer]

As the downtrodden band of soldiers saved face and paraded themselves to their embassy, early morning citizens were beginning their days. A group stood in line, chatting amongst themselves, while they waited to fetch water from a well. A young human child followed behind his father on their way somewhere, there was life again; it was as if Chongqing wasn't filled with the undead mere hours ago.

Weary eyes followed the band led by the elder Hassan as it plodded along through their city's walkways. Most citizens were solemn in the presence of the marines, or merely ignored them...A few bolder citizens would sneer and jest as the marines passed, clearly the soldiers had taken some sort of beating; likely the Jiangshi.
As Hajib and company arrived at the embassy, it was a busier than yesterday immediately. A few of the royal guard were present at the entrance as well as a handful of marines. As the old man pushed through the doors and charged to the desk, he was met by the face of Lieutenant Commander Mina. Her hair was tied back and she held a coffee in her hands.

- "Miss... It's time the ambassador and I speak with each other...I'm afraid, I won't be patient, not when it nearly cost the life of my men." said Hajib, speaking more about his relationship with his grandchild than anything else

Mina recoiled a bit before standing and saluting her superior officer; as some guards were already drawing near with concern. "Vice-Admiral, sir!" She said, announcing the superior's presence to her colleagues. The other marines began saluting, but those who were from Chongqing didn't offer such respect, they merely watched the interaction.

She looked around at the people and then back to the furious Vice Admiral. "Sir- It's beyond my power to hurry the Azure Court!" She explained nervously. "However, I can request an envoy immediately, should you find that suitable, Sir."

The rest of the marine troupe filled in behind the Vice Admiral, catching more eyes. Upon sight of the marines, a single man with a long, thin moustache barked a laugh. "A little run-in with the Jiangshi?" He poked at the marines.
"There's a curfew for a reason." Remarked a rotund man that stood near the first.

"I-Is that true sir?" Mina asked apologetically, nervously, quietly.

The two men were clearly of some import to The Azure City, as they were dressed well and stood in the Marine Embassy; they also clearly had no respect for any of their immediate surroundings.

...

Meanwhile, before the arrival of the new ship, Shaarib would witness a few dock-workers arrive for their early-morning work to discover the mild damage that had befallen the dock. They would observe the solemn Skypiean, smoking his pack of cigarettes, before scoffing and hurrying off for manpower and spare-lumber.

On the other side of the city, a ship had docked into the harbor.

Nervous eyes from residents watched on as a new, scarier-looking, ship took the place of the marine ship that had been there before. Dock-workers that were prepared to begin small repairs waited and watched as a new legion of men formed around Shaarib.

-"Children... Daddy's home !" and the crowd erupted

Mild confusion overtook the citizens while they waited out of harm's way, hoping the new troupe would clear out before they began repairs.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

#

The reunion had died out after 30 minutes of well wishes and embraces. As time passed the Skypiean felt himself relaxing, his shoulders went down a little and he took a more comfy posture. He hadn't remarked that he had been tense for two weeks. Being on the same ship as Hajib had put more stress on his shoulders than he thought. Although he had been smiling at them for the whole sting, he did not feel at home once. Jokes and childish behaviors had been a facade he had built easily to get a reaction from others. Since childhood, he knew that smiling and throwing jokes could anger anyone. Monks enjoyed seeing the orphan in despair when Gan Fall wasn't present. He took the habit of smiling at them never to let them know his mindset. He kept this farce through most of his life and lost it in front of Hajib. He tried to keep the anger deep inside, but he let loose at the first remark. They had too much history together, Shaarib could be the king of this world and still feel like a traumatized child in the presence of the elder. It was his weakness.

Around him, the 169th had understood their leader's inner turmoil. A blonde officer took the birdman's hand and ushered him to his quarters. There he was welcomed by two others soldiers, a white-haired dark-skin man with a tattoo on his eye, and a blonde white man looking like an hurluberlu. They were his right and left hands. The ones hurt by Hermes, the ones he couldn't protect. A smile and his worries disappeared. Troya, dark-skinned as usual did not speak much. He hold his arm out, a newspaper in his hand.Shaarib looked at the newspaper with a questioning look. What did Troya mean, did a journalist catch a picture of the shitshow in the port yesterday ? Or did the navy finally respond to the people asking for his demotion? The journal spoke about the kidnapping of a Celestial Dragon by one of the Vampires, news reported the death of two Vice-Admirals : Strawberry and Doberman. They were two of the old guard. They embraced Shaarib when he got promoted and did their best always to give council to the young man when they met. The situation forced the government to send Akainu and Aokiji. Everything went well cause they were able to recuperate the noble. Shaarib did not understand why they let the pirate live but it was a question he was going to ask to them next time they met. They left alive a pirate that kill two of their comrades. Shaarib raised his head from the papers, but Ayol asked him to continue reading.

What Shaarib found made him drop the cigarette in his mouth. A pirate had decided to put money on World Government’s soldiers. It was ludicrous, Morgan made the work easier for them by ranking the bounties by amount. First came Akainu, the man with a bounty of 4 Billions, next came Leo at 1.7, then Shaarib at 1.4 Billions. The skypiean let the papers fall to the ground. It was vastly better than the bounty the government assigned to his head. But he couldn’t believe that another Vice-Admiral had a bigger bounty. That damn old man needed to retire and leave things to the new generation.

- "Ma ma, I told y'all, didn't I ? " began the Vice-Admiral a huge smile on his face" I told ya that I rocked the Afro !" the three marines laughed and Shaarib continued, " I think I need to update y'all on the situation. After 1 day, I'm not sure we can manage this task properly. But with Ayol and Troya's brains, we can try."

____

In the embassy, Hajib was losing patience. A thin man and a rotund had approached them and spoken.

The rest of the marine troupe filled in behind the Vice Admiral, catching more eyes. Upon sight of the marines, a single man with a long, thin moustache barked a laugh. "A little run-in with the Jiangshi?" He poked at the marines.
"There's a curfew for a reason." Remarked a rotund man that stood near the first.

- "Greetings, Vice-Admiral Hassan. From the looks of it, you are from the court. Like we said to the commander Bao Ji, we have a massive from the government for the Emperor. I understand we are not wanted here, the faster we can give the missive, the faster we will out of your hands."

 

[Einsauer]

"Greetings, Vice-Admiral Hassan. From the looks of it, you are from the court. Like we said to the commander Bao Ji, we have a massive from the government for the Emperor. I understand we are not wanted here, the faster we can give the missive, the faster we will out of your hands."

The rotund man smirked at the remarks made by the marine. He was clearly formulating a snide remark long before opening his lips. Before he could speak though, the taller man responded to Hajib. "I'm sure our emperor has received word of your arrival, Vice-Admiral. You must understand that he is of great import in all matters regarding The Azure City." The thin man seemed forthright and honest despite his clear distaste for the World Government.
"I'm sure your matter will be placed into greater priority than many other matters requiring his divine attention."

The man looked over at Mina. "We shall serve as your envoy, madam. I will personally inform the court of your requested expedience." The wealthily-dressed man looked back at his friend. "Let us take our leave of this place, Hei."
The rotund man nodded and gave a lazy bow in the direction of Mina and Vice-Admiral Hajib before following his lengthier comrade out the doors.

Mina looked over at Hajib. "What happened, sir?" She asked. "Was it truly the Jiangshi?..."

...

While Shaarib caught up on the happenings of the world with his old companions, beneath the ship of the 169th gathered the mysterious cloud of fish; normal piranha investigating the sunken ship as well as the new arrival. It seemed as though the Leviathan Pirates were keeping tabs on the situation involving Shaarib Hassan.

Meanwhile, minks and humans of the Chongqing nation hammered away at the dockyard, making quick work of the repairs throughout the early morning sun.

Edit Purpose: Edited convoy to envoy.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

The rotund man smirked at the remarks made by the marine. He was clearly formulating a snide remark long before opening his lips. Before he could speak though, the taller man responded to Hajib. "I'm sure our emperor has received word of your arrival, Vice-Admiral. You must understand that he is of great import in all matters regarding The Azure City." The thin man seemed forthright and honest despite his clear distaste for the World Government.
"I'm sure your matter will be placed into greater priority than many other matters requiring his divine attention."

The man looked over at Mina. "We shall serve as your convoy, madam. I will personally inform the court of your requested expedience." The wealthily-dressed man looked back at his friend. "Let us take our leave of this place, Hei."
The rotund man nodded and gave a lazy bow in the direction of Mina and Vice-Admiral Hajib before following his lengthier comrade out the doors.

# The Vice-Admiral lips tightened and formed a thin line. At least they listened, their request had been heard. He acknowledged them with a nod, not without considering how they qualified the emperor. The thin man said "Divine Attention", it meant that the famous dragon wasn't the only divinity they believed in. If they considered their king a god, provoking a coup would be near impossible. It meant that they had to proceed with more caution than ever. Instead of going after the Leviathan Pirates maybe they needed to investigate the Jiangshi threat.

Mina looked over at Hajib. "What happened, sir?" She asked. "Was it truly the Jiangshi?..."

The old man lost in his thoughts, lowered his eyes to the Lieutenant. He then began to scratch his beard, seeming to ponder how to convey what had happened the night before. He took his monocle off and began wiping it vigorously.

- "As we feared, we underwent an assault yesterday. Two groups of zombies attacked our crew yesterday. We were able to eradicate the threat, no soldiers died but we did lost the ship. They were some fascinating creatures, and although we were able to capture two of them, they burned as soon as the sunlight came. I am ashamed, this ship did follow me for years and sank because we underestimated them. Each of the groups was led by a massive armored Jiangshi. With a mouth on it's belly, it could absorb everything we threw at it. Vice-Admiral Hassan had to burn them. Each time we hurt one of the "beasts", from its wounds you could hear a horrific sound like you were torturing a thousand souls... I'm afraid you are going to host more than predicted Lieutenant, we h-" The Vice-Admiral was interrupted by the doors opening and cloaked figures entering the embassy, in the middle, his grandchild.

The childish aura around the Skypiean had disappeared and the figure in front of Hajib looked completely different. Shaarib had changed his hairstyle . A cap shadowed his face. His posture was more relaxed, he was less wary of outside threats. Maybe it was due to his guards or he thought Hajib and his crew were a menace. This thought froze the older man's blood, had he been wrong to assume everything was good between them. Shaarib did talk to some soldiers before zigzagging to the reception. Hajib tried to lock eyes with his pupil but the younger man's eyes passed over him for the Lieutenant. Maybe the kid was not ready for a conversation Hajib thought. He needed to convince himself so.#

- " Ma, ma Lieutenant, 169th here. We came with the vivre for your new occupants. My children here" said Shaarib pointing at the cloaked figures" need a room too. They are a little unruly..."

​

169th

 

[Einsauer]

- "As we feared, we underwent an assault yesterday. Two groups of zombies attacked our crew yesterday. We were able to eradicate the threat, no soldiers died but we did lost the ship. They were some fascinating creatures, and although we were able to capture two of them, they burned as soon as the sunlight came. I am ashamed, this ship did follow me for years and sank because we underestimated them. Each of the groups was led by a massive armored Jiangshi. With a mouth on it's belly, it could absorb everything we threw at it. Vice-Admiral Hassan had to burn them. Each time we hurt one of the "beasts", from its wounds you could hear a horrific sound like you were torturing a thousand souls... I'm afraid you are going to host more than predicted Lieutenant, we h-"

The Lieutenant-Commander listened carefully, her nervous eyes flickering around every now and again to the gathering marine force, listening to the tale. In truth, this was one of many similar stories echoed by foreigners and Chongqing residents alike; still the woman was visibly shaken, transitioning from a state of unease to a state of mild fear.
It seemed the woman's mind was growing preoccupied with a grim thought...

The Vice-Admiral was interrupted by the doors opening and cloaked figures entering the embassy, in the middle, his grandchild.

Mina's worried eyes frantically shot up and she let out a quiet shout, caught up in the story her mind incorrectly expected Jiangshi to burst through the door. "geh-!" The exclamation erupted, almost like a whisper or whimper. Her eyes scanned the new arrivals before quickly noticing Shaarib Hassan in the center of the group: "V-V-Vice-Admiral, SIR!" She said, steadying her voice; granting Shaarib the same respect offered to Hajib.
As the air grew thick around the Hassans and their respected marine companions Mina's mind festered; her jitters slowly crept back up as Shaarib spoke up she inadvenertendly interrupted:
"SIRS, I FEAR FOR THE COMMANDER'S SAFETY!" She erupted. The woman blushed as she realized what she had just done and gave a quick series of apologetic bows. "...Sorry sirs. Neither the Commander Stein nor our royal escorts have returned yet...With this talk of the undead..." She stopped herself.

The marines stationed in the Azure City (not belonging to the Hassans' bands) gave each other worried glances as they also hadn't seen their commander in the past day either. A respectful murmur fell across the marines as they pondered the location/fate of their commander.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# Shaarib tilted his head to the side, the Lieutenant Commander was shaking in her boots. She had something to say but wasn't courageous enough to pronounce herself. Shaarib took a glance at Hajib, what had he done between yesterday and today for her to be like that ? With a hand movement, encouraging her to let go of the information. If the old man had any part in this, he would deck him in the jaw. Shaarib needed a reason to attack after their argument on the warship.

"SIRS, I FEAR FOR THE COMMANDER'S SAFETY!" She erupted. The woman blushed as she realized what she had just done and gave a quick series of apologetic bows. "...Sorry sirs. Neither the Commander Stein nor our royal escorts have returned yet...With this talk of the undead..." She stopped herself.

Shaarib's eyes went wide, he let out a deep sigh and responded :

- "First, you need to collect yourself soldier. Second, you need to give me pieces of information : How does it look like, who are the escorts that were with him and finally an itinerary of his day. If we can walk back his trajectory, we might find some clues. " He stopped for a moment, looking at Troya for support and continued "We need to hope, they did not come to face with the Beast, that thing can "eat" anything and won't leave any traces. Losing both a commander and royals escorts can cause a lot of ruckus between the Empire and us." finished Shaarib taking out his cap and scratching his head with the back panel. "The best we can do is hope, they are safe. The whole zone around the Sunken City was covered in smog. The same smog that followed the Jiangshi yesterday. But don't worry, we will not put more strains on Vice-Admiral Hassan's soldiers. The 169th is going to find your leader." he said with a cocky smile pointing at the cloaked figures. "We are tracking experts, usually it's more about pirates but eh, you do what you gotta do isn't ? "

Hajib, still as ever looked at the lieutenant and patted her head with his gigantic palm. The night was long, if Shaarib wanted to run point, who was he to interfere ? The elder wanted to talk with his grandchild but he feared an explosive reaction. In Azure City, walls had ears and windows, eyes. Later, they would find time to speak with each other.

- "Trust him. For now, we need barracks for the soldiers. They deserve to rest. If any answer comes from the Palace, call me... until then...." The Vice-Admiral began walking to his quarters. The day had been grueling. He had wanted to meet the soldier of the 169th under better terms. If Shaarib did not make a presentation, he was going to act as stoic as possible. He was still a feared officer. #

 

[Einsauer]

- "First, you need to collect yourself soldier. Second, you need to give me pieces of information : How does it look like, who are the escorts that were with him and finally an itinerary of his day. If we can walk back his trajectory, we might find some clues. "

The woman thought deeply about each question while the Skypiean looked over to the man behind him to warn his team of the Jiangshi Devourer's ability. She allowed Shaarib to continue speaking before she answered his questions, and handed him a piece of stationery with the same details scrawled across it.
"Commander Stein is easy to miss...He's only about 14 centimeters tall. He's the only dwarf on the island as far as I'm aware." Mina said. As she continued explaining, the notes were clearly different than what she said aloud: "The commander was out on leisure; he enjoys mingling amongst the citizens; he's one of the few marines not..." She paused, debating how to phrase it.

"Openly despised?" Chimed in a young marine standing nearby.​

Mina nodded in solemn agreement. "...openly despised."

The note's writing read differently as:

"The Commander left the embassy yesterday to gather intel on Jote."
"He wasn't planned to return anytime soon, he was to break away from the escorts and venture to the Temple of Seiryu."
"The problem is that there is no word of the escorts; nor the Commander. The escorts should have returned by now."

"The Commander was planning to go to a small pub, near Gongmen Town. It's called The Tea Shop." She said, simultaneously examining the Vice-Admiral's reaction regarding the note.
"Yuki and Bo are the escorts; Yuki is a very tall woman; often dressed very very well, with blonde hair." She remarked, catching the attention of many guards familiar with the attractive royal escort. "...And Bo is an Ibex-mink, I believe. He has long horns and dark hair. He serves more as the physical barrier between marines and citizens while Yuki serves a more diplomatic role." She finished.

- "Trust him. For now, we need barracks for the soldiers. They deserve to rest. If any answer comes from the Palace, call me... until then...." The Vice-Admiral began walking to his quarters. The day had been grueling. He had wanted to meet the soldier of the 169th under better terms. If Shaarib did not make a presentation, he was going to act as stoic as possible. He was still a feared officer. #

As he walked away she saluted the Vice-Admiral and then looked to some of the marines standing around. "Please show our visitors to the domiciles." She said and a good bit of men began leading the group to a hall lined with rooms, each intended to house two World Government guests/marines to a room.

She looked to Shaarib once more. "The entire route is through the major streets of The Azure City, so I truly don't know what could have happened to them." Mina added before moving back behind the desk.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

The woman thought deeply about each question while the Skypiean looked over to the man behind him to warn his team of the Jiangshi Devourer's ability. She allowed Shaarib to continue speaking before she answered his questions, and handed him a piece of stationery with the same details scrawled across it.
"Commander Stein is easy to miss...He's only about 14 centimeters tall. He's the only dwarf on the island as far as I'm aware." Mina said. As she continued explaining, the notes were clearly different than what she said aloud: "The commander was out on leisure; he enjoys mingling amongst the citizens; he's one of the few marines not..." She paused, debating how to phrase it.

"Openly despised?" Chimed in a young marine standing nearby.​

Mina nodded in solemn agreement. "...openly despised."

The Vice-Admiral put a hand on his mouth and tried to fake cough. This situation was getting ridiculous, the chief officer of this base was a dwarf measuring less than 15 centimeters. Of course, they were going to lose the man ! He can hide pretty much everywhere. How were they going to find the man ? The commander had an habit of running into the streets, with his size, the citizens were able to trust him more. They were less wary. Someone could say the population were just wary of human but Shaarib wasn't one. Hs wings were the proof of it and they still despised him.

"The Commander was planning to go to a small pub, near Gongmen Town. It's called The Tea Shop." She said, simultaneously examining the Vice-Admiral's reaction regarding the note.
"Yuki and Bo are the escorts; Yuki is a very tall woman; often dressed very very well, with blonde hair." She remarked, catching the attention of many guards familiar with the attractive royal escort. "...And Bo is an Ibex-mink, I believe. He has long horns and dark hair. He serves more as the physical barrier between marines and citizens while Yuki serves a more diplomatic role." She finished.

Shaarib was about to show his displeasure when he saw the notes Mina passed on to him. Skimming through them, he realized that the Lieutenant too, knew about the plot to disturbing the country. The dwarf was able to slowly create an alibi for himself until the moment was propitious. His target was the Seiryu Temple and the High Priest Jote. If his intel were right the priest was a mink and was clearly respected by the population. Why would Stein was looking for intel on him ? With a nod, Shaarib kept his act on point. The Vice-Admiral hit with his fist the desk with force, making a dent into it.

- "What type of Commander does that ?! Be sure when I find, he's going to learn about his responsibilities ! I will make him a fine soldier !" said Shaarib, trying to mimic Hajib the best he could. The boy was still salty, he looked at his cloaked guards and said after some pondering "Children, for this mission, we are going to go with Genjo, Beast and Iboo ! A perfect display of the diversity of the 169th !"

Behind him, three cloaked figures, let their hood fall on their back and showed their faces. The blond human that was previously with Shaarib, A panther mink with a scar on the side his face, and finally a green fishman measuring close to twice the size of Shaarib.

Commodore Genjo, Lvl 65

Captain Baast, Lvl 55

Captain Iboo ,Lvl 60

- "Lieutenant, I'm going to need other clothes for my crew and I, we don't want to look like workers from the World Government. We are going to act like perfect tourists. Imma even eat one of the delicacies you can find in Gongmen. I will need a mask too, numerous citizens saw my face yesterday. We are going to hope, a pair of goggles and a new haircut is going to change things...." He turned to the others and said "Ayol, I need to you to take in all the information you can from Mina there, don't worry Lieutenant, the Vice-Admiral Ayol is the nicest. She's the smartest too. Troya, you will see through the transit of the goods and clothes for the crew of High-Priest Hassan. I would like if the others could form a perimeter around the embassy and Naglfar... I don't trust them...Keep your Den Den close, we might need to talk more when we find them" finished the Skypiean cracking his back and walking towards the garden.

 

[Einsauer]

- "What type of Commander does that ?! Be sure when I find, he's going to learn about his responsibilities ! I will make him a fine soldier !" said Shaarib, trying to mimic Hajib the best he could. The boy was still salty, he looked at his cloaked guards and said after some pondering "Children, for this mission, we are going to go with Genjo, Beast and Iboo ! A perfect display of the diversity of the 169th !"

The woman recoiled a bit either from true shock or careful acting; perhaps a mix of both. The marines still hovering around seemed to be being kept out of the loop, as they seemed to find the performance completely believable. They all began hustling off to finish their daily routines and duties to avoid any misplaced wrath falling upon them.

- "Lieutenant, I'm going to need other clothes for my crew and I, we don't want to look like workers from the World Government. We are going to act like perfect tourists. Imma even eat one of the delicacies you can find in Gongmen. I will need a mask too, numerous citizens saw my face yesterday. We are going to hope, a pair of goggles and a new haircut is going to change things...."

Mina saluted. "Aye-aye, sir. I believe I can assist you all with clothing as well!" She said and then personally hurried off to fetch Azure City-appropriate attire, leaving the desk unattended for only a brief moment before returning, followed shortly after by two marines lugging crates behind them.
"I don't believe we have masks; we certainly have silken cloaks as well as veiled hats." She gestured over to the crates. "Despite the amount here, it's enough civilian attire for about seven men...They dress well, and typically in great layers."

A lingering marine, the same to speak up earlier, peeked over at the crates. "And it's gonna be a whole lot of silk." He remarked.

Mina looked to Ayol and gave a quick, respectful salute before asking: "What all would you like to know ma'am?"

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# Fully coated, the quartet went out in the garden. Each of them had a cloak made of silk, Shaarib and Genji had decided to wear blue ones while Iboo and Baast wore yellow ones. Under the cloaks, they each had a typical Chongqing attire. Troya followed closely after Shaarib. The two stopped under one of the cherry tree and Shaarib began speaking.

- "I want you to watch every moves the old man makes. I don't trust him anymore. His bones are too old, he's a burden in the fight against the Leviathan Pirates. You weren't there when the zombies attacked. He stood there and kept watching as his soldiers got laid out." began Shaarib

- "Don't worry father, these assholes are not worthy of being partnered with us." said Troya, high-fiving his friend. The people around did not know that a note was exchanged between the Vice-Admiral and his right hand. Shaarib had transmitted the same note he got from the Lieutenant to Troya. If anything happened to them during the day, Troya had to tell the truth to Hajib immediately. Shaarib and his grandfather were still at odds but the old fox was still an experienced soldier. He would know what to do. For now, Shaarib needed the old man to calm down and navigate between the politics.

- " Ma, ma, later then child !" finished Shaarib with a wink

The soldiers went out in more lively streets than previously. Citizens were outside, stalls were open and some were attracting a lot of visitors. Unlike the Harbor, the air wasn't filled with the smell of spices. Shaarib had lost his appetite when he realized there weren't enough Minks around the streets. For every mink you saw, you had 5 to 6 humans around. They still decided to stop randomly to eat or randomly to get a taste of the local food or just to stop to get looks at some antique vendors. Slowly but surely, the troupe was getting closer to the outskirts of Gongmen Town. Iboo, measuring close to 5 meters, was attracting looks here and there but his goofy attitude made him less frightening to the population. Shaarib under his black veiled hat was walking at the end of the end of the quartet. While Genjo, the timid guy stood in front and was canning the area with his Haki, Shaarib was trying to do the same job even though he was less proficient. They were preoccupied about any spies following them.

- "Are we there yet ?" said Genjo with a pout

Nobody answered because they were finally out of the town, they followed the little paved roads until they were in front of the bar they went looking for. The four, looked at each others and Baast, the one they chose to do the speaking, push the gates of the bar.#

- "Que sera, sera !"

 

[Einsauer]

The soldiers went out in more lively streets than previously. Citizens were outside, stalls were open and some were attracting a lot of visitors. Unlike the Harbor, the air wasn't filled with the smell of spices. Shaarib had lost his appetite when he realized there weren't enough Minks around the streets. For every mink you saw, you had 5 to 6 humans around.

Sure enough, in the heart of the city, beautiful shops were sprouted all along. Shops attracted in folks, almost every single one dressed in fabulous garments (similar to Shaarib and co.'s). Many wore the signature silk garb of Chongqing citizens, some merely wore well-tailored tang suits and the most elite of the populous wore both (with their silken robes parted to allow as much of their outfits to be seen as possible).
The citizenship seemed to accept the small group of 169th Division soldiers as tourists; most people hurried along on their business without paying the visitors a second-mind, a few curious citizens sparing occasional second-glances at the troupe.

They still decided to stop randomly to eat or randomly to get a taste of the local food or just to stop to get looks at some antique vendors.

Closer to the heart, it seemed restaurants were in an odd, in-between period of time where they were replacing their breakfast menus with lunch menus and few citizens seemed to even acknowledge the restaurants as they passed; it seemed as though all restaurants within the heart of Chongqing went on synchronized break around noon; however...
As Shaarib and his companions moved further and further out towards the outskirts of Gongmen; the smell of fresh, hot foods could be easily picked up on. Unlike the classy restaurants, the food-carts on the streets were pouring food out to hungry crowds. The work seemed restless, food-workers would serve a whole horde of hungry customers only for them to be replaced by another horde within a few moments.

Almost every cart was serving fried fish, bing (fried Chinese bread), or freshly cut pieces of raw fish (or some mix of the three). The air was undeniably oily, but the scent was rich and mouth-watering. Most here were dressed in less-remarkable clothing, but a few upper-class citizens could be easily spotted buying the same fast-food as the dock workers.

While Genjo, the timid guy stood in front and was canning the area with his Haki, Shaarib was trying to do the same job even though he was less proficient. They were preoccupied about any spies following them.

The haki of the soldiers was strong and reliable, and luckily the surrounding streets (while extremely busy) were non-hostile to the troupe: no uncouth folk seemed to be tracking, or even actively aware of Shaarib at this moment. As the populous thinned out around the 169th and it dwindled to only the four World Government men walking alone...It became apparent that the outfits had done their jobs.

- "Are we there yet ?" said Genjo with a pout

Nobody answered because they were finally out of the town, they followed the little paved roads until they were in front of the bar they went looking for.

The Tea Shop was an odd sight, and immediately recognizable. It sat alone, seemingly as the very last establishment before a long stretch of unworked, natural land. Additionally, the district it sat it seemed to be the equivalent of "slums" for Chongqing, yet this bar's construction seemed more inline with the heart of the city. Despite how run-down the building seemed, it was marvelous. It was like a beautiful sculpture covered in a thick layer of dust.

The four, looked at each others and Baast, the one they chose to do the speaking, push the gates of the bar.#

- "Que sera, sera !"

A lone human man sat behind the bar, he glanced up from a mug he seemed to be drinking from himself. "Afternoon to you folks." He said in a blasé, yet inviting manner.
The one and only current patron of the bar, absolutely plastered in the mid-day, brought his head up from the table he sat at and then let it fall back down after catching a fleeting glimpse of the newcomers.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

#Shaarib snorted loudly when he saw that the bartender was a human, barely evading to choke on the food he was chewing on. When they left Gongmen, the ratio inverted. They were around a lot of Minks and as they went through the streets, the Vice-Admiral couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Each time they went past a stall with foods he never heard off, he would stop. He would even wait in the queue for it. He had never thought of frying a fish nor bread. For an instant he was looking his age. Even though they were in slums, you still had soldiers keeping a tight watch on the streets.

Baast walked forward and sat on one of the high chairs at the counter.

• « Yo ! A fine establishment you have, two beers and two bottles of cola if you have it. »

The panther turned his head to look around the bar, at this hour they weren’t a lot of client so it might been appropriate to ask for information. He took a side glance at Iboo and the fishman with a little tap on the counter made a signal.

• « My friends and I are looking for three people, 1 dwarf, 1 pretty tall woman and Ibex Mink, have you seen them ? » whispered Baast to the bartender#

 

[Einsauer]

Baast walked forward and sat on one of the high chairs at the counter.

The bartender stood from his stool as the group approached, he set his mug down and did a small stretch. At closer observation, this man was far older than he immediately seemed. The old man's strong figure made him seem like an opposing man in his late forties; this man's face read as at least seventy however.

« Yo ! A fine establishment you have, two beers and two bottles of cola if you have it. »

The bartender turned around and opened a section of his bar, revealing a gust of freezing air. He turned with two beers and set them down.
"I don't have any cola, it's a rarer import in Chongqing, unfortunately." He turned back around to fetch two more bottles: "This is sarsaparilla. It's similar to cola in a lot of ways; though it's certainly zingier." He gestured to the bottles. "Try it, if you're not a fan I won't charge ya'."

It was clear to the bartender he was dealing with tourists (or at least foreigners), but something about these powerful figures in his bar was beginning to cause his brain to churn up ideas as to who they might be.

The panther turned his head to look around the bar, at this hour they weren’t a lot of client so it might been appropriate to ask for information. He took a side glance at Iboo and the fishman with a little tap on the counter made a signal.

• « My friends and I are looking for three people, 1 dwarf, 1 pretty tall woman and Ibex Mink, have you seen them ? » whispered Baast to the bartender#

A small silence hung in the air. "...Marines." He grumbled a bit, glancing at all the figures.
He sighed.
"Yes. I saw all three of them recently; yesterday in-fact." The elder relayed after a short moment of thought. "They all left in a hurry though, Yuki stayed just long enough to pay their tab."

"Yuki isn't in trouble, is she?" He asked after a brief pause, clearly concerned for the woman more than anything else regarding the situation.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

"I don't have any cola, it's a rarer import in Chongqing, unfortunately." He turned back around to fetch two more bottles: "This is sarsaparilla. It's similar to cola in a lot of ways; though it's certainly zingier." He gestured to the bottles. "Try it, if you're not a fan I won't charge ya'."

The panther looked back once again at his companions, Genjo's face was perfectly showing his emotions. The young man was not old enough to drink and like Shaarib took pleasure in drinking Cola. The priest did not care really, he made a vow not to drink anymore and was keeping his promise. If that sarsaparilla had a drop of alcohol, he was going to cause an incident.

- "Aight man, provided it's not alcohol, we fine."

The drinks were distributed and Shaarib under his veil made sure to wait for the younger guy to drink it first. When he saw the blond soldier smile, Shaarib followed suit. The taste was original, the skypiean did not like it at first but the aftertaste was pleasant. He still kept a scowl on his face.

A small silence hung in the air. "...Marines." He grumbled a bit, glancing at all the figures.
He sighed.
"Yes. I saw all three of them recently; yesterday in-fact." The elder relayed after a short moment of thought. "They all left in a hurry though, Yuki stayed just long enough to pay their tab."

"Yuki isn't in trouble, is she?" He asked after a brief pause, clearly concerned for the woman more than anything else regarding the situation.

The barman wasn't stupid, his words did not cause any reactions from the soldiers. They spent months navigating under SWORD. It wasn't their first mission undercover, nor would it be their last. They were not going to infirm their affiliation and they wouldn't deny it either. Plausible deniability. First, the three of them came to the bar as planned, secondly, they left in a hurry. The marines needed to know how they left, Was the commander with them or they left in a hurry when they realized the commander had disappeared? Thirdly, it looks like Yuki is or was dear to the man's heart. It was a loophole to exploit. Panther smiled smoothly and said :

- "Yuki and the people with her, were not seen since Yesterday. Can you retell us the event of yesterday ? The disappearance of a world government's official and his escorts can cause a diplomatic incident...Particularly if the last place they were seen at is your bar. How were they yesterday ? Why did they leave in a hurry ? At which time did they leave ? Is there any chances the Jiangshi attacked them?"

Shaarib did not seem to care about the questioning, he had found his target. Using his width, he took one bottle behind the counter and slide in one of the booths. In front of him, a patron that was already drunk. The Vice-Admiral hit him on his back and put the bottle in the man's hands.

-" Hey there !" yelled Shaarib, in the man's ear, some informations were going to be released and Shaarib did not want anyone to hear besides the marine.

 

[Einsauer]

The drinks were distributed and Shaarib under his veil made sure to wait for the younger guy to drink it first. When he saw the blond soldier smile, Shaarib followed suit. The taste was original, the skypiean did not like it at first but the aftertaste was pleasant. He still kept a scowl on his face.

When the young soldier smiled at the unique soda, the bartender couldn't help but subtly match the smile. He nodded knowingly. "Not bad, right?" He gently patted the counter. "Hand-made in house, flavored with native plant roots." The bartender clearly took some pride in his hand-bottled beverages.

Shaarib did not seem to care about the questioning, he had found his target. Using his width, he took one bottle behind the counter and slide in one of the booths. In front of him, a patron that was already drunk. The Vice-Admiral hit him on his back and put the bottle in the man's hands.

-" Hey there !" yelled Shaarib, in the man's ear, some informations were going to be released and Shaarib did not want anyone to hear besides the marine.

The man reflexing swung a lazy arm towards Shaarib, then quickly calmed to his original state of stupor. He grinned at the loud man. "Hi--" He said, slowly realizing there was a new bottle of alcohol in his hands now.
"--Woah." He said, looking at the bottle; his eyes were unfocused as they tried to skim the bottle. He set the bottle in front of himself and then looked at the heavily-veiled face of Vice-Admiral Hassan.
"Thanksh, guy."

- "Yuki and the people with her, were not seen since Yesterday. Can you retell us the event of yesterday ? The disappearance of a world government's official and his escorts can cause a diplomatic incident...Particularly if the last place they were seen at is your bar. How were they yesterday ? Why did they leave in a hurry ? At which time did they leave ? Is there any chances the Jiangshi attacked them?"

The response from Baast seemed to linger in the old man's mind as his mindset switched from proud bartender to concerned citizen. The man's eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to recall the other day.
"Yesterday was as normal as they come, other than how Yuki and Bo rushed out..." He thought a bit more. "They seemed in good spirits; but at some point Bo burst out the bar..."

"...I didn't see Stein leave." He said sternly, then looked up to the other men. "...Though how would I? He's the size of my thumb."
The old man paused, thinking harder.

"...Jiangshi..." He murmured. "They left before sun-fall, as is expected of guests. So unless they stayed out in the street past the curfew... I don't think that would be the case..."

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

- "That sounds strange. Were you able to ask Yuki or Bo why they were leaving so suddenly? From what we heard, they are regulars customers so isn't unusual for them to act that way ? Especially if they were in good spirits ? Why would they leave without Stein too ? It's even more curious, why would they leave without the man they are supposed to escort trough the town ? Do you have any idea where they might have gone or what could have caused them to leave like that?" asked Baast, an hand on his chin, the situation was dire, the government would not take kindly the disappearance of their comanding officer.

Behind him, Genjo had already finished with his bottle and was hitting the counter for a new one. On SHaarib's side, the Vice-Admiral begin his interrogation.

- "Mate ! I did not se ya yesterday ! The bar was so full ! I partied with a dwarf half my index and was pushed away by a burly mink, I then went to look for the little guy all night, did you saw him perhaps ?" said Shaarib with a pitched voice, they needed answer. If the bar coudln't help them. He would have to visit the Temple, act liked a dumb person then try to sneak in during the night. He was getting sick of this town. Usually, he didn't go trough hoops. He land, he seek the pirate and beat their ass. Now he had to act like a detective in a city cursed by zombies.