Journey To The Tower of Grimm [PLOT]

Walter sheathed his guns once the fighting was over. One of them was injured. And what they experienced was nowhere near the real thing. Without a doubt, Walter could see most of them dying along this adventure. But he would not be one of them. He had to live in order to decide for himself the most important question to his very existence. They then ventured off to the town.....

"Will you buy some of my wares?"

Walter didn't really want to. Looking at the group, he put on a smile on his face. He paid for the cloak, and draped it over his shoulder.

The merchant girl long passed, the group can finally see Alibaba town just ahead. The sun has begun to set and everyone is a little tired from the endless walking. Suddenly, Cheshire takes out the raggedy cloak that he bought from the girl earlier and puts it, letting it drape over his body, the flap tightly closed.

"You all bought one right?" he turned slightly to the group and asked. "This will be a good time to put them on."

He continued walking, letting those who decided to buy a cloak to quickly wrap it around themselves the same way he did. Cheshire continued talking as the group approached Alibaba.

"Welcome to the town of Alibaba," Cheshire said, "the town of forty families of thieves. The merchants here in Alibaba are famed to have collections of items and good from all over the world. Problem is, those items were not bought through traditional means. It may seem to be a small merchant town but it may as well be considered the thieves capital of Vale."

Cheshire pulls his cloak tighter around himself.

"These may not look that fashionable but at least it hides what we're really wearing. As far as anyone else knows, we're a bunch of raggedy travelers who aren't even worth stealing from. The cloaks will also make it harder for pickpockets to get you. Keep you weapons hidden so that you can keep any muggers off guard."

The group stops when there leader stops walking. The group has entered the square of Alibaba. Looking around you realize how much of a maze the small town was. Everywhere you see twists and turns, alleys, and passages. You even see some people jumping from rooftop to rooftop casually. It is near impossible to distinguish faces among the many wandering people on the streets.

"This place is beyond shady and you probably can't even trust a local old lady, but this place is also a prime source for info. Our next destination is relatively close by, so the local info would be useful as well. But if we really want information, we'll need to talk to a thief. Many of the thieves here decided to try playing tomb raider and entered Solomon's castle in expectation of obtaining one of his legendary treasures. Now, we'll try to gather information independently. Split up into groups of your choosing if you wish. If you find anything, call the others with your scroll."

With that, Cheshire wanders off and seems to have disappeared into nowhere, leaving the group alone in the square with their objective.

Ron puts on his reddish-brown cloak and does what Cheshire told him to do. Is splitting up really a good idea in a town of thieves? Oh, well, we can always fight back, we're huntsmen and a huntress in training. Speaking of huntress, Ron goes to his teammate who went on this expedition with him, Chiu. "Hey, lets go find some info on this Solomon guy's house." he said, keeping one hand on Cupiditas in case someone tried to steal from him.

The town square is a circular opening in the midst of the small town. At the center is a water fountain. Several different types are wandering around the square. Some eye the group but would just walk away immediately. There is a choice of four different roads going north, south, east, and west.

"Lead the way." Chiu replied to Ron as she pulled her cloak's hood over her head. It was worn and ragged in places, but it's pale blue color suited her decently enough. She still held her weapons in her hands, concealed beneath the cloaks wrinkles and folds. "So, what's the plan when we actually find this guys house?" She asked. "Are we just meeting him or do we get we get to interrogate him?"

Ron thought back to earlier in the day when Cheshire had talked about their path to the Tower. "I don't think house was the right word to describe it; it's something like a manor or castle." he said thinking a bit more. "Also, I think it is suppose to have valuable items there, which is why thieves here, to use Cheshire's words, were 'playing tomb raider' at the building. All we're doing is getting information about the manor before we go to it." he finished the explanation.

"I think we should go down the East road. What do you think, Chiu?" he asks, thinking that it would be rude to just go by his own choice.

Aeden puts on his cloak which is a nice dark color to match with the rest of his outfit. He also repositions Deception X to better accomdate the positioning of the cloak. I could probably pass for a thief myself. Aeden scans the area and notices the western path leads to some of the more weathered buildings. Looking up at the sky Aeden starts to head down the path with a plan in mind. Thieves steal at night. They're might be some in a bar preparing for a job, seems a good a place as any to get information.

As Aeden enters the western district, he sees weathered wooden building to his left and right. There is a bar nearby called the "Outlaw". Other discernible buildings are a general store, an antique shop, a liquor store, and a used book store.

"Ron..." Chiu began with a sigh. "It is your job to lead and mine to follow. If you think we should go East then we go East. If you think we should go West, we go West. If you think we should stay right here then I will go buy a couple chairs." Placing her hand on his shoulder, Chiu smiled slightly. "And don't worry about making a mistake. I may not be the same girl from RAWR, but I will still smacking upside the head if you do something dumb. I haven't changed that much."

"East it is then!" Ron said smiling at the last thing Chiu said. Both Ron and Chiu walked down the road leading East from the square. As they entered the street Ron said, "I want to find a sword shop, maybe the owner has some thieves steal from the manor and bring special swords in."

As Ron and Chiu enter the eastern district, the scenery becomes strangely oriental. You see an assortment of stores and parlors. You can smell noodle soup from a nearby restaurant and the salt sea smell of fried octopus dumpling from another, as well as the calming aroma of tea and bean cakes from a small shop. There is a wide array of food stands scattered all around the streets. Attempting to find a weapon shop specifically, you manage to see a smith shop around the corner next to a fish shop.

"Outlaw. Well I wonder if I'll find any criminals here." Aeden smirks at his sarcastic comment as he walks toward the door. Before entering he glances over to the antique shop. "If I have time I should stop by there. Someone must have sold some kind of valuable thinking it had no significant meaning. Its worth a try." Aeden turns back to the bar and pushes the door open to enter.

Entering the bar, Aeden sees a pretty stereotypical western pub. Men are sitting around wooden tables with mugs of beer and liquor. The bar is filled with smoke and the sound of piano music from a record player. To the far back is a female bartender cleaning glasses idly. You see over twenty different men hanging around the place, but every single one of them is wearing a raggedy cloak. Each of them blatantly appears gruff and unpleasant with the exception of the bartender and a young blonde man sitting alone at a table.

"Hmm, a blacksmith shop." Ron says, then thinks Not what I was looking for specifically, but it'll do. He says to Chiu, "Let's start there." He walks to the shop and waits at the door for Chiu.

As they approached into the town, Cheshire's words rang out to them all, to place cloaks upon themselves. Wrapping his cloak of a forest green around himself, he pulled the hood up, covering his entirety. His black coat beneath, he button it up, the midnight sky color giving the appearance of nothing beneath the cloak... if it wasn't for his silver hair. Luckily that primarily required a head on look towards him to catch in full, and as long as no one decided to try to poach his head for it's rarity in natural color, all would be well.

From the town square, he watched as people started to depart one by one. Before they all left, Tsuteto called out, "It would be best if at least one stood by here, but keep yourself near a wall of some sort. It is not well to stand out in the open." As two headed east, and one headed west, he opted for the northern path himself. He knew not what he would find as of yet, but significance would lead to itself as it would normally so, if he was to be one of the group to find such.

Heading to the northern district, Tsuteto finds himself in a rather quiet part of town. There were almost no people on the streets and the ones who were around were just loitering and lazing about. The many apartments show this is the residential area of town. The only other noticeable buildings are a noodle soup shop, a drug store, and a police station. Some notable faces are a shady trench coat wearing man standing stone still within an alley, the old man idly sweeping the front of the noodle shop, and an old lady wearing thick shades sitting on her knees on a pillow in front of another alley.

The group had arrived in Alibaba. Walter smirked and even chuckled as he observed the rickus around him. So this is what we've come to.....? Asking for criminals for help? he mused in his head. It was ridiculously laughable to him. But alright, I'll play this little game. He went down the western path, always cautious of his personal space and surroundings. Everyone he saw looked like a crook. Boys, girls, hooded women, hooded man; burly or thin. Even the babies were suspicious to him. He didn't want to follow too closely with the crowd, in fear that he rub too closely with another that he cannot detect a pickpocket. Alas, he sees a general store.

Walter knew from previous experience on trips with his father that general stores were gardens of information. They were meeting points. A castle for rumors, gossip, and news. Walter entered into the store, hoping to swindle and swagger people out of some information......

The silent air filled Tsuteto's ears, and his eyes soaked in the scene before him. "Residents," he whispered, looking around. With a soft growl of his stomach, he figured to first thing to do would be to eat. Leaving the spot he stood in for a few seconds, he walked on down the path, approaching the old man and his broom. With a bow of his head, he then asked, "May I trouble for a bowl of your specialty?" Unfortunately food was the only thing Tsuteto could constantly change in the dull daily strides of life, which was even more of a disappointment when he was just tired of eating in general.

Chiu nodded briefly as the pair made their way to the smith. It seemed like a decent enough place to get information, but she wasn't so sure going behind closed doors was such a good idea. Not that they really had much choice. At least asking the smithy what they needed to know would delay the rumors of strangers asking questions spreading through the town somewhat. Unless, of course, he turned out to be a gossip. Which, if this journey's recent luck was anything to go on, would not be surprising.

"I'll stay by the door and cover our escape." She told Ron as they entered. "If you run into trouble, just call me and I'll start smashing."

The general store is pretty much as most people would expect it. Selling generally anything. Business seemed slow as the only customer around was some guy taking his time deciding on whether or not to buy a single thick cigar or a box of cigarettes for the same price. The shop keeper stands behind the counter, a rather peaceful look on his face as he simply watches over his small store like a statue in a flower garden.

The old man looks up at Tsuteto and observes him up and down. It seemed as though he was checking to see if the stranger was a thief or not but it's hard to tell. Being much closer to the old man you notice that he is slightly toned and his eyes appear sharp. He has a revolver presented pretty obviously holstered to his side. Old age came with experience, and this person was old enough to know you should be prepared for all sorts to walk near your shop in a town like this. The old man opens the door to let you in. It seemed to be a rather simple shop. A few tables, each one already set and ready for customers. No one else seems to be around even though there was one table with a half eaten bowel there most likely from a recent customer that just left. He seats you at a table and heads to the kitchen. An old lady soon comes out with a bowel of rice noodles in a rich broth, chunks of some sort of meat dropped around it. She sets the bowel in front of Tsuteto.

"It's our special dear," she smile at Tsuteto. "You're too scrawny for a grown man so I added extra meat to it. Eat up nice and well. The broth is to die for."

The old lady steps back and walks back to the kitchen.

Giving his thanks to the man letting him in, Tsuteto Sat down at the table he was presented to. He was glad to see the old man cautious of him, but still chose to keep up hos guard, especially after seeing a half eaten bowl on the table. Though when the old woman brought the bowl of noodles out, it certainly smelled appetizing enough.

"I bet," Tsuteto remarked in his thoughts towards the lady's comment on the broth, and then immediately went to conversation, attempting to catch her before she had returned to the kitchen. "Thank you ma'am. If I may trouble your time a bit more... could you tell me about this Solomon fellow I've heard about? I hear mixed reviews and tales, and I'd be much obliged for your side of the coin."

"Solomon? Solomon.... Oh! You mean that famous scholar who used to live in that castle a few miles off," the old lady finally says. "I don't know much about history son but I do know that plenty of thieves have tried to rob the place ever since he died all those centuries ago."

As she speaks you notice that this woman is not as fragile of an old lady as first glance suggest. Her steps appear nimble and lights. She doesn't seem to have any noticeable muscle tone like the old man, but considered you barely caught her attention before she went back through the kitchen door, having covered ten meters in only three seconds, one can tell she's made herself well able to deal with the local riff-raff.

"Thing is though.... none of them have ever came back," she states as she tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "But I did hear a rumor that someone who went up there was actually seen coming back. I can't quiet recall who though."

The woman looks to Tsuteto and smiles. "I'm sorry but I can't seem to recall. I'll ask my husband in the back though. He talks to a lot of people around here. I'll get him for you. Eat your meal while I go fetch him."

The lady walks through the kitchen door and leaves Tsuteto to his bowel of soup, the smell of the broth inviting and the aroma of the meat intriguing.

Caihn is suddenly very thankful for his last-minute purchase from the little girl earlier, as he drapes the scruffy grey cape over his shoulders and sinks into relative anonymity. He decides to take up Tsuteto's suggestion, and he moves over to the north-east wall, and leans up against it. He keeps an eye on the crowd as they mill around, watching to see which of the many people passing by were the ones looking to make a profit off other's unguarded valuables. 'If this city really is one with Fifty Families of Thieves,' he thought, 'then the only ones who really are very likely to know anything useful are the high-ups in each family. I just have to identify which thieves can lead me to them.'

"Okay, I shouldn't be more than ten or twenty minutes." he said to Chiu. He walked in slightly grinning at her eagerness for violence. Once inside he looks around the blacksmith shop.

In the blacksmith shop you see rows and rows and finely honed weaponry and other metal goods lined up on the walls. You can here the slamming of hammer on steel from behind the counter where the blacksmith is making work out of a double edged blade. As you enter, the blacksmith sets down his hammer and nods in your direction showing he acknowledges your presence. He's a rather short but burly man with a ragged beard. Even though you were in a town of thieves this man has casually set down his hammer knowing he was in the presence of a stranger. It is hard to tell whether or not he's just too trustworthy or if he just doesn't think you're worth being cautious around.

Ron gives a nod back to the blacksmith to show that he will talk to him in a moment. He does a quick loop around the shop barely glancing at the products, and walks up to the blacksmith.

"I need some information on Solomon's manor. More specifically if there is anything useful there?" he asks the blacksmith, hoping the guy won't deny him info just because he wasn't completely planning on buying something.