NORTHERN MARKETS
Episode 36a
Going to Almony

From the newspaper, Kerning Kanko* Daily (Friday, November 16, 2007)
(…a group of students belonging to the Ellinia Institute of Knowlege and Education were arrested by a GM highway patrol outside Kerning. The students were arrested for illegal posession of memory crystals and tapes containing outlawed’ content. The students were handed over to the KCP for holding until a court date could be set after they declared sanctuary within Kerning County. Declaring sanctuary immediatly places one under the charge of the City of Kerning and the KCP and must be handed over by the GM and procesed in the local legal system.
At the press conference, KCP chief Mack stated the students admitted they ventured into the SEA Lands and Korean Lands to collect evidence of the infamous (not yet proven) magic markets and noob slave trades operating. According to the students, the markets employ various companies [some possibly operating in town] and hire parties to kidnap noobs and magicians in the Free Market and in Victoria and take them to the markets. KCP chief Mack also went on to say that the students were adventure librarians sent out by the Ellinia Library, and they were returning from the 2 year project.
GMs confiscated most of their evidence and the students have been released on conditions not to leave the city and a promise to appear in court….)

Noobstown (Chome 3)
10 km west of Kerning City.
The heavy rains set in, drenching the land with a torrential downpour.
the rains pounded the walls, windows and roofs of the big tall apartment buildings and complexes around.
The grand view the residents had of the entire Naples Valley was blotted out by the rain.

Azure stared out the window in awe. Just a minute ago she was outside and now it was raining and the clouds were dark as night.
“Azure, come!” Kim said. She followed the blue-pink haired lady down the hall. The floor was bare wood, but the walls and ceilings were covered in colorful banners, posters, lights, even some walls were covered in flowers growing from them.
Azure, Owl and Kim walked up to one of the elevators, where a huge buff guy wearing jeans and a T-shirt was waiting. He snarled upon seeing Owl. Azure thought he was staring at her and jumped behind him.
“Yes, this is OwlSpirit175,” Kim said, pointing at Owl. “Is Almony home?”
“The Boss is out,” the big guy snarled, still glaring at Owl. “He already knows she is here and demands to kow why,”
Kim looked at Owl.
“I have a hard mission ahead of me and I need some help,” Owl said flatly. These damn noobs probably wouldnt hear anymore from her.
The big guy took out his cellphone (NOT the messenger) and punched in a phone number.
“Yeah…She’s here…Says she’s on a mission. She’s also got the blue haired pipsqueak with her…As you wish,” then he closed the cell phone and put it away. “The Boss requests your presence at his office, follow me,” the big guy said, pointing to Owl and Azure.
“What did I do?” Azure blurted.
“The Boss requests you,” the guy said.
“Go with him, everything will be alright,” Kim said, patting Azure’s head softly.

A minute later and the girls were out in the giant gravel pit square between all the apartment towers.
Some guys in black stepped forward. Owl knew at once these guys were not with the Permanoobs. One of them walked up to the black van parked by the dumpsters. The guy sitting in the driver seat was a skinny old guy wearing big red baseball cap and old tattered jeans and a plaid shirt. “H-hey, w-w-what can I do for ya?”
“We’re going downtown,”

The guy started up the van and opened the side door. the big guys stepped in, pulling the girls with them, and on their instruction the old guy driver floored it, driving out to the road that went for the freeway.

Azure was scared crapless, and Owl said nothing. She was wondering what is up with all the security. The Permanoobs were the mellow and peace loving lot the last time she checked. Some of these big guys were bald, others had back hair. All wearing sunglasses, except for the driver, who was a skinny guy in old cash shop clothes.

20 minutes later, the van pulled into the car park under a tall gray building at 22nd Ave at Cheung Sreet.
The door was yanked open by the security guys and they hauled Owl out with force. Azure was too scared to move from her seat. She sat ther shaking, staring at the big guy who threw Owl out, and behind him her standing up again.
The big guy held out his hand for Azure. “Come on, you. You’re okay. She’s just on our watch list,”
Still shaking in fear, Azure involuntarily took the guy’s hand and let him gently pull her out like he would for a princess.
The other guys pinned Owl up against the side of the van and put her in hand-cuffs. She didn’t resist.
The girls were escorted to the wooden elevator.

Azure was amazed with the elevator ride. Except for the lower parts of the wall, the floor and ceiling, there were no walls or windows, and the passengers got a full view;
The elevator was pulled up by a rope from the cark park through a long ark corridor then it passed through this giant room where the old boilers were. Azure forgot her fears of the security guards around her and stared in wonder and amazement as she watched the guys below stoke coal and garbage into the fires. Huge rock tanks heated up water and steam that went up though pipes sticking through the ceiling to the next floor. Some of the old turbines connected to metal cables that also went up. The hot air blasted her in the face as the elevator rose toward the ceiling, passing the metal deck. Soon they were so high embers were in their faces. Azure covered her face with her sleeves, Owl winced as the hot ash embers touched her face. The elevator passed through the floor above and there was another 20 seconds of darkness. Then the elevator came out of the top of the wooden shaft, and Azure said, “OMG! What is this place?”
She caught herself and threw her hands to her mouth. “Sorry,”
“This place is the bath house. This is the ground floor.”
Azure stared at the large circular pools of hot steaming water below. People were bathing and wading in the water, young attendant permanoobs running around carrying soap sticks, herb packages, towels or drinks.
The elevator passed through more floors that the guards said had private baths and rooms. Then it reached the second to top floor and a bell went ‘ping’
The security guys opened the gate and escorted the girls out.
Azure couldn’t help but take notice of the floors and walls. it looked very much like the Japanese style bathouses she saw pictures of back at the Library.
They were escorted to a small waiting room with white lantern lights green walls and whitewod floor. Azure sat on the bench by the door.
Owl sat too, but the guys stood around her.

Azure could hear two guys talking behind the door next to her…
“…Mr Almony, with all due respect, you’re making my job harder and harder already! I can’t even convince City Council anymore! They told me they are looking at drafting a masive deportation plan!”
There was a scream of pain.
“…Agh!~ they were cool with all the poor people coming in to work and things were fine, but now you’re bringing in all the big business and mobs! And you have to be on crack to even THINK about the hackium trade-“
Gunshot. Azure jumped, startled.
The door flew open and a guy in a blood stained suit came limping out, clutching his right shoulder.
“Boys, see to it, Mr Lawson finds his way out, lah!” a brown haired guy in green suit shouted. “Who are they?”
he shouted pointing to Owl and Azure.
“OwlSpirit175, Justice Arrow,” the security guards flanking Owl both said.
“…Send her in! And that blue haired pip-squeak too!”

Owl and Azure were thrown into the office. The security guards forced Owl to sit, Azure sat on the bench next to her.
They were facing a huge oakwood desk and the handsome white guy with a black-red afro puffball of hair sitting behind the desk.
Almony remvoed his glasses to get a better look at Owl and Azure.
“These two were present at Chome 3, sir,” the guy in the black suit said.
“Excellent work, Maevis.” Almony said in a calm, deep voice. “Leave us, I will talk to them privately,”
“As you wish, sir” the security guards all said in unison and walked out, sliding the screen door shut.
The fella in green held out his gleaming chrome handgun; playing around with it. Azure was shaking in fear at the sight of the weapon.
“Put the weapon away, Ron.” Almony said. Ron obeyed. “That’s better,”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
Dammit, i cant seem to have enough time for a full chapter -_-. i wanted to to more! Well since its still the same scene, it decided to split this chapter into 2 parts, a and b. Part B shoud be out in a day or 2.
In other news, I made level 16 in Flyff. I am an acro training to be a ranger. I maxed junk arrow and I can do 600 damage PER hit . (150 dmg if i just shoot arrow, 600 if i use skill). I can kill bangs already.
I’m doing way better in flyff than maple story