Eric looked at the surroundings that seemed a bit rough, there was a garden with a large fountain in front of the inn while from the side workers handled luggage and carriages. Eric grew depressed but sighed and pulled up to one of the men handling the carriages.
"Excuse me, what should I do with my ostrich."
"You new here?"
"Uh yeah."
"I'll take it for you."
"Thanks." The man smiled, Eric smiled back but eyed the tattoo of a flood dragon on his arm.
Walking inside the hotel was of oriental style but it was simple.
'Shouldn't be too expensive.'
"Hi, can I get one room for tonight." The woman smiled and nodded.
"That'll be 15 iron." Eric took the temporary key and went to his room, upon entering he saw a simple but clean room. The bed made and a small bathroom for use.
"Not bad, not bad at all." Feeling the day had grinded up all his energy, Eric went to the bathroom and washed himself profusely. The soap that the inn used was a fragrant lavender. Putting on some clothes from his ring of holding, Eric went to the bathtub and used the soap to wash his clothes.
Setting them to dry he looked in the mirror.
Eric looked at himself and looked at his light brown and orange eye. The other eye still closed despite having a bloodline. Nothing noicably healed on his face. "Fuckers burned me good. That's why she doesn't like me, I forgot I'm ugly." Eric felt a deep sadness as tears ran free.
Alone in his room the boy wept before deciding to meditate. Setting some candles out that would make a sputtering noise once consumed he aimed for a couple hours of meditation. Sitting with his legs crossed, Eric calmed himself and meditated until he felt a faint pulsing in his dantian. Looking inside he saw his Mountain Cloud Guardian bloodline.
Touching the totem, Eric saw a scene of a snake breathing harmoniously, it lay against the earth drawing it's power and soaking in it.
"[Earthen Cradle Snake Breathing]" Eric breathed as he sat against the floor, trying to feel the earth around him. To picture it.
Eric felt a nasty feeling envelop him, as though all of his negative emotions were crashing down on him. "No, why am I feeling this." Ripped from his meditation, Eric could feel that something was wrong.
"What was that horrible feeling?" Eric washed himself once more and put on his clothes, donned his armor and went to look for SIl.
"Judging by the candles it's probably 8:00pm. Where would she be at this time?"
Thinking for a moment, Eric back tracked and went towards the entrance area where he asked for a different guide.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you a guide?" Eric had chosen an older and more motherly looking woman.
"Yes sir. Would you like to hire me?"
"Please, how much?"
"It'll be three bronze sir." The woman face expressed her appreciation for the business.
"I'm a bit of a talker ma'am. I have a lot of questions."
"Oh no, please, that's why I'm here." The woman guided him to a different shop for transportation than what Yulo had.
"Ma'am what are some of the different powers in Dragon Fish City?"
" Well it's split mostly between the military, the merchants, the mercenaries, and the gangs."
The woman was quiet mentioning the gangs as she looked around.
"What gangs are in Dragon Fish City?"
The woman hesitant as she looked around.
Let's find a place more quiet sir. The woman took him to a shop with a bunch of fat llamas.
Ringing the bell a man came to the front as he grouchily asked "What is it now?!"
"We have customers brother make yourself useful." The man was a decade older and of a similar look to the woman. Letting out a ripe fart that made Eric and the woman cringe he brought a llama.
"Brother, we need two."
"The other llamas are in heat, you know this." Shaking her head, Eric chimed in. "That's fine, I wouldn't know how to ride the creature, I'll sit behind madame."
The man chuckled, "Aren't you a bit old to be preying on the young."
The woman blushed, "Shut up you old fart." Taking the llama the creature spat and farted itself until the woman rubbed its head.
Eric felt himself smile for the first time since he'd been in the city. The fat thing shook in clear enjoyment as the woman threw a saddle over. Eric went to the man watching and slid him a bronze tael that the man promptly kept in his sleeve.
"Don't ask my sister to do any unsavory things, woman's life is hard enough already. Beware the people offering sweet nothings, you'll get a tooth ache."
Eric smiled but took note of the woman's hardship and tried to guess as to what the old man was alluding to. Saddling up, the woman confirmed.
"Alrighty sir, I'll take you to the sights in the outskirts, it's already late so that will be all I can do for you."
"That's quite alright ma'am, honestly I'm fine as long as you can answer my questions."
"Aahh I'm sorry, I'll take you to my residence, that would be a better place to talk." The woman went into the residential district and took Eric on a deep track until they reached some cottages that looked from humble beginnings.
Reaching her home a pair of twins, a boy and girl, ran out of the cottage.
"Mommy's home, mommy's home!" The two ran circles around the llama. A softness in her eyes as she directed them.
"Tao, Mao, go back inside and wait for me." The woman wrapped the reins of the llama to a bar and the creature went to eating and drinking water. Eric and the woman walked in the cottage.
'Clean but sparse. They don't have much.'
The cottage consisted of a main room where there was the entrance, wood, a pit for cooking, and a room closed by a sliding door.
"How is your father?" The twins grew quiet. The woman gave a knowing sigh and ruffled their hair, "Go stay with him and stay quiet, I need to speak with a client."
The kids looked at Eric who smiled. "He's kinda scary looking ma."
"Tao's right he's face is wrapped funny."
"To your father, NOW."
The two scrambled into the closed room. With the sliding door open, Eric saw a man lying down seemingly in a deep sleep. The smell of medical herbs was thick from them just opening the door.
Now with some privacy the woman took to making some tea and warmed up some dumplings. "What would you like to know sir?"
"First I want to know why people seemed wary of that man Yulo." The woman's hand froze as she heard his name.
"You picked him earlier as a guide, or should I say your girlfriend did. He is apart of the gangs here in Dragon Fish City. Yulo is the bastard son of one of the prominent gang leaders, the Flood Dragons."
Eric was surprised not just by Yulos status but how the woman had noticed him earlier.
"It pays to always keep one eye open here. The city is as safe as you are aware." Her expresion serious.
"Many of the guides are affiliated, being a guide is not only lucrative but also a good way to network. Many gangs use guides to find prey and targets. Yulo does the same. He finds gullible women of all ages and seduces them. Don't worry, his method takes multiple steps. He hasn't bedded your sweetheart."
"Friend. We're just friends." The woman snorted
"That's what my husband said and now we have two kids with another on the way. Don't deny what you feel for her lest someone come along and sweep her off her feet. Maybe it's already too late." The woman whispered the last part so soft that Eric thought she was muttering curses about Yulo.
'This lady is really perceptive.'
"There are many races here and with that comes a variety of problems. The military is a strong force that handles both foreign and domestic affairs. They have branches that deal with a variety of affairs."
"The Merchant Clan is one of the oldest and strongest clans to have ever existed. They are affiliated with a plethora of shops though not all of them.
"The mercenaries Guild handles work that the military won't or can't handle. They only need enough coin to be moved."
"The council is the organization that is in charge of handling race relations and coming up with proper legislation. Be careful with all of these group but the council you should steer clear of if possible."
"Finally, are the gangs. There are five prominent ones, a bunch are always sprouting but they don't really amount to anything. The Red Angels, the Killer Crocs, the Ninth Handlers, the Visionaries, and the Flood Dragons. Each one dangerous and in charge of something."
"The Red angels are a religious group that everyone knows is truly a gang. They deal in kidnapping, espionage, and information gathering. They take dirty contracts and kill those deemed necessary by the highest bidder."
"The Killer Crocs are a group of ex military and ex mercenaries that take on intimidation, stalking, and harassment type gigs. They extort and drain those who are weak."
"The ninth Handlers are a group that deals in forbidden materials, forgotten relics, strange things, and human trafficking. Be cautious as they can be cut throat and love to maintain their air of 'secrecy.'"
"The Visionaries deal in racial conflicts and believe that any of the lower born should be put down and...assimilated. They are dogmatic in trying to breed a 'superior race', many join secretly to bear children of a higher pedigree."
"The Flood Dragons deal in drugs, and a bit of everything else. They are among the oldest of the gangs along with the Handlers and Crocs. Stay away from these people or find some type of backing."
Eric was quiet as the woman served some chicken dumplings with some ginger tea. Eric was silent as he digested the information, his hands moving quick as he ate, demolish after dumpling.
It was only when he felt some chopsticks slap against his hand that he realized that he was reaching for the woman's food. The woman laughed, "A thinker, just like my husband. I'll give you directions for some people that still sell food into the night. I don't think you're done with your questions though."
"What is Yulo aiming for with my friend?"
"What else? Her money, favor, her body. We humble folk tend to pay attention to types like him so we can steer clear. He wows girls with tricks, promises, and entertainment. He has good ranking in his gang, nobody is going to touch him as long as he doesn't mess with somebody of the upper echelons."
"Don't worry I can say with my life that the man doesn't 'eat' his prey the first night. He is setting up the scene. I'm not a cultivator but I'd hazard to guess that his revolves around women. He seems to thrive off of making the men feel helpless and the women dependent."
"How do I stop him?" The woman hesitated in answering, which further served to unnerve Eric.
"I couldn't tell you; Yulo is excellent at picking his targets. It's best that you temper your expectations, though he may use something to increase your woman's dependency on him, he is merely manipulating a want, need, or unexpressed thought that is already there."
Erin's face soured as he thought of everything. A few hours later he left the women's house with a wealth of information, his face dark at everything he'd learned. Coming backs to Roadman's inn, he asked the front desk woman if a girl with silver blue had come in but she shook her head.
Eric stayed up all night, worry wracking the boy's nerves. "She's like my sister. How could she just give me the cold shoulder and not come back. Is she even safe right now?"
The boy eventually fell asleep, drool all over the place. Eric groggily awoke in a particularly foul mood. Getting up he went and paid for a week's worth of time. Setting off, Eric went over the different directions that the women had given him.