link
(my map of victoria)

link
(Kerning map. Noobstown is not on this map, i’m afraid -_-)

NORTHERN MARKETS
EPISODE 34+ Going to Noobstown

The next morning around 7 or so, Owl woke Azure up and they left the

doctor’s office and walked out to the waiting bus.
The driver checked both their tickets and let them on.
The door opened and the bus drove out into the blizzard and continued

west on Victoria Road.

Azure and Owl sat in the back and again Azure had the window seat.

She stared out at the snow covered badlands, still half asleep. It

was too early in the morning, so Owl didn’t make her read her field

reports and crap just yet.

The trip from Perion to Kerning City was at least eight and a half

hours. At 12 noon, the bus passed through the mountains and entered

rainy forest again.
As the bus came into Kerning County, the gravel road became a smooth

paved highway that went through forests and farmland. at 3, the bus

turned onto the freeway that went straight into the city.
Azure stared out the window amazed and curious at the passing

wonders. The buildings looked new and futuristic. The clusters of

houses soon turned into apartment buildings; the farms soon turned

into industrial centers; factories, warehouses, production plants,

etc.
The traffic became thicker on the highway as more strange looking

cars and trucks came on en route to the city center. Soon the bus

took the exit at Bandit Avenue, passed the truck stop and pulled up

to the bus loop by Northly Mall and the big Target superstore.
Azure and Owl got off. It was cloudy but chilly out.
“This looks so different,” Azure said, looking at the roads, cars and

buildings everywhere.
“This is the first commercial fast spreading city in the southern

territories” Owl said as they walked to the Target store.
“What do they sell in there?” Azure asked; confused.

“Target is the only department store authorized to sell things to

people, but to people in Kerning City only. Just the ususal- house

supplies, office supplies, furniture, stuff like that. No weapons or

supplies,”
“oh,” Azure aid, staring at the giant store. “Where are we going

now?”
Owl reached into a pocket of her black cape and pulled out some spare

change. “We need to find a payphone, and you need to make a call”
They walked up to the payphones by the door at Target, and Owl

checked her note book for the list of local numbers she had from her

under-cover noob missions.
“How does this work?” Azure asked, staring at the keypad on the

phone. “It’s only got numbers,”
“There is a local phone system in place here” Owl said. “Since most

of the people living here have secondary jobs and not primary like

thief, warrior, magician or bowman, they dont get the mobile chatters

we do, so they use these weird phones” Owl said, slipping a 10 meso

coin into the coin slot, and punched in an eight digit number.
“Who you calling?” Azure asked.
“Jenna Dalvik. she is Phil’s mom,” Owl said. “I knew her,”
Azure had no idea who that was. Owl picked up the hand set and put it

to her ear. 3 beeps and someone answered.

[“Hello?”]
“Ms Dalvik?” Owl asked. “It’s me, Owl. I’m a friend of Phil’s. I just

got into town~”
[click]
Owl slammed the handset back onto the cradle.
“What’s wrong?” Azure asked, curious.
“I am still on their bad side” Owl said. “No doubt I won’t be welcome

there”
“What do you mean?”
“To make it short: When I came back to Kerning, it turned out the

Permanoobs, my family, had disowned me for joining the Justice Arrow.

For the last 7 years, I infiltrated Noobstown under the guise of a

noob on grounds I was doing research for the Library, which I was. I

only did all that just to see them and be with them again. I broke my

cover when I some kids fell into a grain tower and I rushed in to

save them. The noobs were pissed I had decieved them, and they said

to never come back.”

“That sucks,” Azure groaned.
“Yeah!” Owl agreed. “I told them I was forced into the Justice Arrow,

and I had no choice. they just won’t listen to me!”
“Now what?” Azure asked. “Do we go north?”
“No” Owl scoffed. “We need supplies, and I have to negotiate some

peace between me and these people to get access to supplies, and a

vehicle.”
Azure stared at her blankly. “Can we get some food?”
“Later. You are going to call them” Owl said, slipping another coin into the slot and passing a bewildered Azure the handset.
“I don’t know what to say!” she said in a panic.
“Just say ‘its me Azure, can I talk to, oh, Barl or Kim,'”
“Who are Barl and Kim?” Azure asked, still confused.
“They took you out of the hospital when you were still recovering from that slash attack. They cared for you here. You just don’t remember,”
“Okay…” Azure replied, still not seeing the sense in this.
she heard a beep, then :
[“Hello?”]
“Uhhh, hi it’s me…Azure, um…I…Azure, you know, uhh magician, um can I come over? Please?”
Azure’s face flushed red with embarassment. In her frustration, she gave Owl the finger. But as Owl predicted, the response was positive:
[“Azure? Azure!? OMG! Is it really you?”] the woman’s voice shouted on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, it’s me…” Azure said, not sure what to think.
[“Where are you?”]
“I’m at Target, you know, up by the truckstop on uhh…Bandit and the highway?”
[“Are you allright?”]
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit hungry. I just got off the bus from Perion”
[“OK, look, catch the express bus to Naples, and get off at Mountain Hwy, you can’t miss it, then take the bus number 144 north, and Barl will be waiting at the stop! Bye!”] and she hung up.
Azure looked at Owl with confusion.
“What did she say?” Owl asked.
“We gotta take the bus”

An hour and a half later the girls got off the express bus at Mountain Hwy, a small road that ran up into the mountains, about 30 km west of town. After a 10 minute wait, a smaller local bus showed up and they got on. There were still buildings everywhere, but mostly it was farmland, or forest. Noobstown was the cluster of old buildings up on the mountain side over looking the valley.
After about 20 minutes, the bus stopped.
“Is there a kid named Azure on this bus?” the driver asked.
Azure slowly raised her hand, even though she was hidden by the big hood of her blue sweatshirt.
“Get off here,” the driver said.

“Azure!” a tall woman with grey-turquise hair cheered as she rushed up to her.
“Whoa! scary lady!” Azure said, jumping back.
“Don’t be a moron and give her a hug!” Owl said, pushing her into the woman, who wrapped her in a rub-crushing bear hug.
“Agh!~ Can’t breathe!” Azure croaked.
“OMG My baby! We missed you so much!” the lady said, holding her tightly and spinning around, making the little magician feel sick.
Azure gagged and the woman released her, then she puked.
“Oh! Are you okay?”
“She’s got the flu and lag,” Owl said, finally catching the Permanoob lady’s attention. “She needs some treatment,”
“Who are you?” the woman challenged.
“My name’s Owl. I ws just bringing her home,”
“Oh,” the lady said, suspiciously. She looked back at the old buildings behind her. Flags, banners, flowers, and other beutiful decorations hung from every ledge, window sill and deck of the old structures.
Azure started sneezing and coughing.
“Oh, you poor thing!” the woman said, wrapping her pink cape around the girl. “Let’s get you inside and get some food into you!”
“…thanks…” Azure said, letting the woman put her arm around her and guide her to the gates of the Noobstown buildings. She stopped to look at Owl; whom she heard was a traitor.
“You had better speak with Almony before you can call yourself one in our clan! come on, I’ll show you where he is!”

They walked up and entered through the open metal gates of the giant old stone/wood/metal built structures.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
i just want to apologize for there not being any action for the last few chapters. I kinda wanted to describe things like places, and the characters rather than fill every chapter with fights.
Next, I’ll check on what Bob has been up to.

uhh one thing; i hope there isn’t any competition in all these stories i hope ppl r just putting them out for the fun of writing and for every one else’s enjoyment
cya