184. Kirghiz: Wiremu.

Kirghiz is big, and I mean huge. It seems to sprawl forever. There doesn’t seem to be a wall. All the main businesses and industries seem to be down by the Kirghiz River. The river bank has stone piers stretching up and down it for kilometres. The river is so wide I can barely make out the other side. Then I do spot a walled part. That is the Naval base and forts on the seaward side of the city.

There are several tall towers over ten stories high. I am only used to buildings around three to four stories. Then Farsight spots winged creatures landing on the tower’s various platforms. I suddenly realise these are Avions. Kirghiz is a large multicultural, and multi-species city. The Kings Castle stands out on a hill behind the naval base; the hill opposite it has a palace. I am assuming this is for the Duke of Kirghiz. The valley between them will be the most expensive area in the city.

Finding an Inn with space for the two lionesses was a problem. If town folk had bonds, they were generally of the small kind that shares a room, like Tāttā and Aṇil and me and the small version of Tāoke. Tāttā would be visiting some real-estate merchants first thing in the morning. I would leave Appā and Mutalil and their bonds to escort Tāttā, while Wild Bill would hit the taverns and pick up the gossip.

I must also visit the Mercenary Guild and collect on my escort job. We didn’t need to do it through the Mercenary Guild, but this is a way to build my reputation. Dianne will also get on the books here. I found out there are four Mercenary Guild offices in the city. One in the expensive retail and financial district between the hills. It was called The Central Queens District after some historic battle between two Queens. There is even a statue of an angry warrior Queen in the central plaza. The main Mercenary Guild Office is by the civilian shipping area south of the Duke's Palace adjacent to the international markets. This area was called the Dostava Docks. I have no idea why. The northern branch was in an area called the Upper Forstad. Then there was the western office in an area called the Western Marshlands. This was a poorer area, as you might expect.

I took time and went to the main office to sign off my contract. There is always a tavern as part of the compound, and I figured it would be a good place for gossip. I browsed the job boards, looking mainly for jobs related to the duke or his many, many offspring. I didn’t really know who was connected to whom at this stage, let alone their allies.

With the sheer number of people, I had to reduce the size of my Thermal Sensing. I kept pushing it out as I wanted it to level. I could easily sense people in the floors above and below me, but the street was too busy at this time of day.

Dianne registered later that evening with the Western Marshlands Office. It would take a day for her name to be spread to the other Kirghiz offices. While I was there, I took an assassination contract on a minor crime lord in the Swamp. That wasn’t the official name for the area, which was Lower Močvirje. It was a swamp. The narrow muddy tracks wound through wooden shacks, and in deeper water areas, the shacks were suspended on poles, as were the walkways. My heavy body sunk deeper into the mud, and the insects were fierce. Now I knew what the contract had sat for a long time uncompleted.

I had Snakeskin active to keep the insects off. My Thermal Sensing allowed me to avoid people easily, and combined with my master-level stealth, I ghosted through the area. OK, I waded through the area, my Hearing Aid listening for word of my quarry. Eventually, I found some thugs that I thought might be connected and followed them. They eventually led me to a seemingly random shack on stilts, where they reported to my quarry. I stayed quiet and observed and listened.

It is just as well I did because I discovered the second reason this contract had not been fulfilled. Mr Crime Lord had a bond. I might have missed it without my ability to sense bonds, and he would have had a warning. The bond was a big ugly cane toad. I would have dismissed the toad as a normal swamp inhabitant. It blended perfectly with the swampy area and was extremely poisonous. The bond itself was quite healthy and felt like a sluggish poisonous gas. If I killed the toad, the target would have a warning and could slip away.

Tāoke was moving easier than I was through the swamp. He was also heavier than a normal snake, but it didn’t seem to worry him. I worked my way around the toad and left it for Tāoke to deal with. My target would have a high Poison Resistance. According to my Thermal Senses, the soon-to-be ex-crimelord was now above me and settling down for the morning as dawn was only an hour away. I was crouched below him as this house was only a meter and a bit above the water. The floor didn’t look that solid, so I formed a Granite Spike into a short spear. Dianne doesn’t carry spears, but we will make up a story if necessary.

I thought about burning the hut down, but I need evidence for the contract. Crime lord lay down on a sleeping mat, and I concentrated my Thermal Senses, locating his heart. I concentrated some more and identified some key arteries, which would put his brain right about there. I decided to go for his heart first. I lined up the spear and superheated the tip with Thermal Manipulation (Mineral). I ensured Sudden Strike was active and then performed a Power Strike straight through the wooden floor, his ribs, and into his heart. The heated tip of the spear cooked his heart.

At the same time, Tāoke struck the toad. The toad didn’t stand a chance. I think he killed it a normal way, as it would have a high Poison Resistance as well. He then ate it. Eew, that sounds horrible. I queried Tāoke why and it was a way for him to raise his Poison Resistance and Potency. That was interesting. I didn't know that was possible. I wonder if it is because he is a monster. Look at that. My Monster Lore just went to the Apprentice level. Should I be feeding him all sorts of poisons? Tāoke feeds himself and will let me know if he needs anything in particular.

I cut a hole in the hut floor, crawled in, and looted the place. A reasonable bit of coin for my trouble, and I took the ex-crime lord’s head as the easiest proof. Assassin levelled. The low levels are easiest to level in the classes as well as the skills.

The Mercenary Guild offices are always open. There is less staff in the early morning. I cleaned up and redressed as Dianne and handed in my contract. The attendant I saw was impressed as this crime lord had evaded the people sent against him for over six months. Two never reported back and were assumed killed. I assume the bond warned him, but I didn’t say that despite the hints at wanting to know. You don’t give anyone an advantage, as you will likely not return next time. I got an effectiveness mark added to my record. More difficult jobs would open to me.

I spent the crime lord's money on a small stone one-room house on the edge of the slum area. It was in a row of similar dwellings and quite run down. I created a hidden store in the floor for some of Dianne’s gear and a spare set of Wild Bills gear. I popped back and gave the Mercenary Guild the address so they could leave a message there if a likely contract came up. I changed into Wild Bill and went back to the Inn for a late breakfast and a sleep.

After lunch, I caught up with Tāttā. He had put an option on a warehouse and yard near the Dostava Docks and was doing his due diligence. The place was also close to the Trgu Bazaar, a famous international market. He had employed a Structural Engineer to inspect it. It was different when you were buying a place than when you just leased something for a few months.

Tāttā was about to go and inspect a residential compound in the Upper Forstad that might be suitable. Upper Forstad was basically on the other side of the city from the Dostava Docks, but it was not far from the edge of the city to take the bonds for a run, and there was a Mercenary Guild Hall there. The prices were also lower than somewhere closer.