Sayren comes to the employment office. Hurrying in her best efforts before stopping in front of the board within the Employment Office. She reached into her pocket to fish out the parchment with the numbers she had pulled out from before. It only took a few more moments before she could find that sequence of numbers on the board once more. Latched onto it with its own parchment.
The numbers laid there before her eyes, as if casually waiting for her to finally take notice of them. How long has this parchment been here? And why here of all places? It didn't make much sense to her. She continued to read the parchment, it spoke of Smoke-filled catacombs, filled to the brim with the cancers and malice of mankind. How could the monks pass by something like this without question? If they didn't know what this number had meant, she would then have to assume that Zarko and Goran never spoke of the goat nor the numbers they had found upon it.
At least...not to anyone that shouldn't know of it. So did that mean one of them placed it here for Sayren to read? Foolish! Zarko would've just ran out to the school and found Sayren. And if Goran had really wanted to find Sayren, she honestly wasn't too hard a person to find in Nyka.
So why was this parchment here? Did the woman need help again? That couldn't be either, the woman couldn't have possibly remembered all of these numbers so perfectly without writing them down after seeing them.
She tore the parchment off the wall to see if there were anything else that added onto the add. But to no avail. It was just the numbers. Along with the mention of the smoke-filled caverns, and the worst of the worst humanity had to offer.
She rubbed her chin, pondering about this as her eyebrows furrowed in her concentration. The only place she could think of right of that had such things was the "Cave of Wonders." It was unintentionally brought up to her by Zarko in a conversation they had before. She was curious about the crime rate in Nyka and the monk told her it was a slim chance it actually happened. However, there was one area that they mainly dared not to approach, and that was the cave of wonders.
Far as the monk knew, it was lounging with drug addicts and so on. While some monks wouldn't object to the use of drugs, Zarko wouldn't stand for it. He even recalled how he punished a few drug users before. It was a longshot. But it was currently the only lead she had currently until she could find something else.
With that, she took the parchments with her and departed from the building in company of her faithful strider, Garel. The strider glanced back at her in concern as she steered them towards the Eastern Quarter of the city. She never usually passed through the Eastern Quarter unless it was to pass through from the Northern Quarter to the Southern. Sayren patted his cheeks in comfort as she whispered in confidence, "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine. I need to find out what's going on here anyways."
It was only a few chimes later when they finally arrived at the "Cave of Wonders." She raised her eyebrow in suspicion as she glanced about the area. It was just a broken down shack? She dismounted the stallion against his wishes and began to search the area. He stayed close behind her, even when she opened the frail door that seemed hardly in place by anything.
Sayren had to glance back at the strider and demand that he remained behind. She was going to be fine and would return soon. Once the stallion finally calmed, Sayren opened the door and continued on. The hallway didn't take long for it to get dark. In fact, she even questioned if there was anything down there at all. Till a faint smell came across her.
It was strange aromas of different sorts. She had to have been close by. Sayren took a quick sigh and straightened her back before continuing down the darkened cave. Till a torch was found. Held lit beside a stained wooden door. Decorated with a silver knocker upon it that appeared to be a cat? Lounging around as if it had no care for the outside world.
She reached for the piece of metal and gave the door a few simple knocks. When the door opened, more of that heavy scented aroma passed by her in a wall. She cringed back, pulling her right arm up and a step backwards as her eyes tried to focus on the being before her.
It was a woman. She had greeted Sayren with a warm welcome and smile and had asked for what brings the woman there. Sayren attempted to bring out a piece of the parchment, but before she could fully state her business. The woman told her she knew exactly what she was there for. Sayren raised an eyebrow, "That so? Then what's the meaning behind these numbers?" Successfully recovering the parchment from her pocket now, Sayren brought it up to the woman's face.
The woman glanced at Sayren in confusion, "Perhaps its an order for my father to fill. Here, let me take-" She was cut off when she tried to reach for the parchment, only to have it snatched away from by Sayren.
"No." Sayren objected firmly, "If it were for your father to see. Then bring him to me for him to see!"
The woman cringed momentarily, but gave an uneasy smile as she tried to appeal to the woman, "Please, my father is a busy man. Surely you can just sit down and wait till I summon him?"
Sayren shook her head with her arms crossed, "I'll keep to standing thank you." She wasn't comfortable with the small area they were in. Even more so discomforted by the group of people lying about in their chemical daze.
It didn't take the man long to arrive, considering how small the quarters were. As soon as he arrived, he greeted Sayren with a handshake and said that his name was Azim. He then asked her about the parchment his daughter had mentioned to him.
Sayren raised the parchment to him, "Do you recognize this?"
Azim narrowed his eyes as he brought his hand to the parchment, but not removing it from her grasp. He shook his head as he pursed his lips, "No. I'm sorry friend. But I don't recognize these numbers. My daughter seemed sure it was code for a special order for a special customer. However, it appears not to be. So how else can I further help you?"
Sayren nodded, "Anyone here that could possibly know about it?"
Azim shrugged, "Possibly. I can't stop you from asking around about it. However, would you like to purchase my...'special' wares?"
Sayren raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "I apologize, sir. But I did not bring any gold with me for purchase. Simply came here to find the owner to this parchment."
Azim stretched his tongue along the inner parts of his lip as he nodded his head in partial acceptance, "I see...how about this? I offer you some of my wares for cheap. Instead of paying silver, you come back and pay copper. I have the best stuff in all of the city! I guarantee it!"
Sayren kept her poise in confidence, she didn't want what he had and she was certain that she wasn't going to want it any time soon. "I thank you for the offer, but I must decline."
Azim sighed, "A hard bargain. You see this? She drives me to a hard bargain!" He announced amongst them all, then brought his talk back down to Sayren, "Look, I'll give you your first try free? Can't beat that! What are you looking for? Wisdom? Skill? My wares can help you with any of it! Feel pain? Forget about it! It's gone once you have tried this!"
As tempting as it was for skill enhancing drugs, it wouldn't feel right. She would feel like she cheated her way instead of properly earning it. If she was going to surpass Savio, she was going to do it on honorable terms.
"Again. The offer is tempting. But it's not what I am looking for."
Azim gritted his teeth, but his tone was still laid back and relax, "That's fine. You'll come back. I'm sure of it. Once you realize Azim has the best stuff in all of Nyka, you will come back. I always please a customer."
As Sayren turned around, Azim asked for her name. She paused for a moment, "Another apologies, but I would feel better if I not lend my name out." Her attention was caught by something else now. Sounding like someone was trying to whisper her aside, "What?" She asked out towards the voice's direction.
