The Iron Archipelago was known throughout Valisthea for its lush tropical forests, yet the sight here in the northern port town of Alfos was a fry cry from that. A tropical storm battered down upon the quaint little town.
"The Mission must go smoothly," Clive muttered to Biast "
"Smoothly? We're soaked to the bone before we even set foot on land. "
As Clive and Biast stepped down from the ship using the gangplank connecting the ship to the dock. A few guards stood guard at the docks and several kiosks were present near the exit. As they began walking towards the land from the pier a guard, his face contorted in a scowl, stepped in their path, his hand gripping the hilt of his broadsword. Clive's fingers instinctively twitched towards the familiar weight of his own blade at his hip, but he held back. Drawing their weapons here, in a foreign port would be a foolish misstep.
"What's his problem?" Biast grumbled, his hand hovering near his own sword
Clive Whispered in Biast's ear, " Biast wait, He's trying to tell us something "
Biast looked at the guard who, despite raising his sword wasn't threatening them. Instead he telling them something in the native language. Neither Clive nor Biast could understand what to do or what he was saying. Just as they were figuring it out, another guard, younger and seemingly less hostile, rushed over. This one, to their immense relief, spoke in heavily accented but understandable English.
"Hold, fellow travelers," he said, his voice strained against the wind. "He means… identification. You need identification."
"Identification?" Clive echoed, raising an eyebrow. They hadn't been informed about such a requirement and were not prepared. These rules must be new.
Biast was already bristling. "Rules be damned," he muttered, "Let's just get out of this downpour and figure things out later."
The younger guard sighed, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his soaked leather jerkin. " It's the storm, causing chaos. New regulations. Everyone, especially outsiders… branded ones…" he trailed off, his eyes flickering nervously towards the branded tatoo streaked across Clive's cheek.
Sensing their confusion he said "Not… not like that, sirs. Just… a temporary card. Shows you've cleared customs. Routine procedure, mostly. Calms the nerves." He gestured towards one of the kiosks, where a line of travelers huddled under the awning for shelter. "See? Just a formality. Get your cards, and you're free...."
"Alright, alright," Biast grumbled, his voice heavy with resignation. "Let's get these blasted cards then. The sooner we're out of this rain, the better."
With a shared sigh, they joined the queue at the kiosk. The line moved slowly, each traveler filling out a form with their details while the kiosk attendant, a wiry man meticulously checked their papers and with a series of scratchy scrawls and issued permits.
Clive heard a commotion in front of them and turned to look. A young woman with a baby was arguing with the man in the kiosk, " But I was not aware of such a fee ! "
The attendant rolled his eyes and replied, "The storm has put everything in disarray. Everyone, who requires a temporary identification card must pay the fee and your forms are not in order. There is simply nothing i can do "
Tears streamed down her face, " Please! I have a child !. Surely there must be something you can do "
The attendant, seemingly unfazed by the woman's desprate pleas for help signalled for two guards and barked something to them in their native language. One of them grabbed the woman's arms roughly, while the other snatched away her baby.
"No! Please, my child!" the woman screamed, her voice breaking
The guards ignored her and dragged her away quicky. Her wail and screams become fainter until they could no longer be heard in the howling wind.
Clive brought his face close to Biast's and murmured, " This is even more worse than Sanbreque "
Biast replied, " Agreed "
Soon it was Clive and Biast's turn and they stepped near the counter. The man held out his hand, " Fee "
Clive handed over a pouch of gil. The man then filled out a form, his tongue sticking out in concentration. Finally, he tore a page from the ledger and stamped it with a crudely carved wooden block depicting an axe and a chain.
"There," he grunted, pushing the document across the counter. "Temporary permit. Valid for one week. Report to the custom to extend " He waved his hand signalling for the next person in line.
Once they were clear from any guards Clive spoke, " If the whole of the Iron Kingdom is like this, we will have a hard time nearing the dominant of Shiva. Let alone killer her "
Biast, nudged him with his elbow. "Relax, will ya? Let's worry about that later, now we need to focus on finding our sergeant. He was supposed to meet us after our ship docked, but considering we're six days late, maybe he got tired of waiting and left
Their conversation was interrupted by a man clad in the distinctive Ironblood armor, approaching them with a guarded expression. He leaned in close and whispered, " By the light of the Mothercrystal, the flower shall bloom "
Clive, recognizing the coded phrase, began to respond, "And so shall the-"
Biast, ever the impatient one, cut him off. "Alright, alright. Screw the code phrases! Where's the sergeant?"
The Ironblood soldier looked surprised and a hint annoyed. "Those phrases exist for a reason, you know." He gestured for them to follow. "This way."
As they walked through the muddy streets, the soldier introduced himself. "Name's Aevis. The sergeant sent me to find and escort you two. I must say, you are rather late."
Biast replied, " You can blame that blasted storm for that. And what's this pass we were given?" "
Aevis explained, "The isles have been continuously hit with several tropical storms lately, causing havoc and ruining many ships. Since they only have a limited number of vessels, they're issuing these temporary passes to control import and export."
Clive asked, " When do we leave for the capital ? "
Aevis, without turning back, spoke, "I'm afraid that won't be possible right now."
Clive's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"We ran into some problems," Aevis continued, "and we're unable to sort it out just yet. The sergeant has more details for you two."
Soon they had reached the entrance of dilapidated inn. Aevis gestured, " He's upstairs waiting for you and trust me, his rage is even worse than that of the storm's "
Clive and Biast ducked through the low doorway of the inn, It smelled like stench stale ale and burnt charcoal. Despite the unpleasant smell, neither of them could deny the fact that the warmth of the room provided a welcoming respite from the unrelenting onslaught of the storm. The storm raged on outside, with harsh winds and the rain drumming on the roof. Inside, the light from a large fireplace lit the entire hall. A group of rough-looking intoxicated sailors huddled around a central hearth, several empty glasses of Ale littered around them. " Ignore them " Aevis said, "Come on, he's waiting for us upstairs "
As they climbed the stairs the old wood creaked adding to the tense atmosphere Reaching the top, they found themselves facing a long, dimly lit corridor. Aevis pointed towards a door at the end. "Sergeant's room. Knock before entering." With that, he turned and disappeared back down the stairs, leaving Clive and Biast alone with their pounding hearts and a sense of impending trouble.