((Collab between Letter Bee and The Fated Fallen))

At Tirrarian's question, Ioannes felt his cover story grow shaky. How could he not have accounted for the technology gap between Giray and its neighbors? After all, his indoctrination had told him that the technology gap between Giray and its neighbors was one of the reasons said neighbors were shitholes and life was better in Giray, which in turn justified the usage of Warrior-Slaves and Slave-Bureaucrats to defend said better life?

[i]More like 'justified', with quotation marks,[/i] spoke the cynical parts of him. [i]You may be fine with giving up your freedom so that Giray's people can enjoy their superior technology and bathhouses, but others are not, especially the kids.[/i]

[i]Which is why I will end the system one day,[/i] Ioannes/Yahya thought. [i]If only I can find a substitute way of doing things...[/i]

"Tirrarian, that's a nice name," Ioannes tried to keep up a positive appearance. "And, my business, well, that's currently my business. Why don't we go look for the Blacksmith, or you can take me to the Fletcher. The Guard can probably watch the auburn-haired woman as she shops."

[color=violet]"Alright, keep your secrets. I'm afraid I'm new to this town, I didn't even know this place was here."[/color] Maybe he'll be in some Tavern? Either way, Tirrarian feared the worst, Blacksmiths were normally up early and if he wasn't here working...

"So," his eyes radiated warmth, "let's go?"

She nodded in agreement. She didn't really have any business with the blacksmith but she wanted to learn more about Ioannes.

As the two walked some distance away from the rest of the group, Ioannes checked for the sound of footsteps behind him, specifically following him. Once they were sufficiently far away, Ioannes ducked into an empty alley close to an actual Fletcher, before saying:

"I'm really, really, really screwed! I didn't know that Flintlocks were so rare!" He then sighed, then continued:

"I have to apologize, but you seem like you're good at...not telling the truth? If so, I need your help; in exchange, I'll not only tell you how I got the flintlock and what I am doing, but also even pay you, if you're officially offering your services."

Tirrarian re-assessed Ioannes. He was definitely not from around here. More importantly he clearly didn't understand anything to do with the underworld. She couldn't help but laugh, 'not telling the truth'! [color=violet]"In this line of business, you never want to 'officially' offer services. Deniability is always key.[/color]" More importantly she didn't care much for his money, though she wasn't going to tell him that. [color=violet]"The first thing about lying is you try and lie as little as possible. So, tell me a story about you."[/color]

Another sigh, then:

"Tell me, you've heard of Giray, right?" Her mood would probably sour at the mention of his adoptive home country; Giray did not have a good reputation outside its own borders, for reasons that [i]did[/i] make sense to Ioannes.

She understood why he'd keep this secret. Giray was often regarded not with suspicion, but with open hostility in most parts. A foreign nation that few foreigners excluding traders to their lands had ever seen. That alone wouldn't be enough to warrant hostility, but their alleged abduction of children was. Tirrarian didn't know the whole truth, but she did know that as a country it had very minor contacts in the underworld, but only in the major popularity centers. Even then mostly ports (ports where basically everyone and their grandmother has contacts in the underworld). She nodded at Ioannes, [color=violet]"I've heard of it, little more."[/color]

"Funny, despite its reputation, it is a nexus of trade in the region," Ioannes began to digress, but stopped. "Anyway, how do I put this? I'm a Girayid Mamluk; please don't kill me?" he then looked at her with 'puppy-dog eyes', before taking out his Girayid insignia.

"I swear, I'm one of the people trying to change the system, but I can't do that if I don't manage to keep this town safe from the possible magocratic threat and thus gain the necessary credit!"

[color=violet]"Magocratic?"[/color] what did magocratic mean? [color=violet]"Anyway, I'm not going to kill you."[/color] A thousand thoughts went through her head, why did he ever reveal himself to begin with? Had she heard the name Mamluk before? What did Girayid mean? Why would she want to kill him? She funneled all this information into a question. [color=violet]"So what do you need my help to do?"[/color]

"Magocratic, as in the 'Rule of Mages'; I was sent here to put a stop to a Mage who is trying to take over this place and create a state where those with Magic are seen as superior to non-magic users. Also, you seem surprised, and, well...unknowing of the import of what I said to you," Ioannes' mode turned scholarly.

"Anyway, a Mamluk is basically a Slave-Soldier, someone abducted at a young age - 13, in my case - and trained to fight for peak perfection, in order to defend the various Millets* of the Girayid Nation and fight for [i]their[/i] freedom at the cost of my own. There are also Slave-Bureaucrats. Anyway, I need your help with keeping myself secret, because I was posing as a common adventurer, only to find that common adventurers don't have firearms. And, also...a few more things that you might need to know."

"Giray is using the current turmoil to increase its trade ties to Waldenshore, not just in legal goods, but also illegal ones, namely [i]orphans[/i]. However, if I fulfill my orders to stop this turmoil, they'll have no reason to abduct kids anymore, as they [i]won't[/i] have children to abduct. Not to mention that again, I need credibility in order to change the system."

"But, I'm stuck with the fact that, due to the [i]backwardness[/i] of this region - no offense meant - I don't have a cover story that will allow me to act against the Mage behind the current crisis, at least not one that would last. So, that's where I need your help, Miss."

Tirrarian considered his offer. She didn't like the idea of helping out a Giray, but this man seemed genuine. Of course, he could be lying, but she didn't think he was. [color=violet]"Okay then, Mr Ioannes, where do we start?"[/color]

"My cover story," the 24-year old was glad. "The main problem is that I cannot pose as an ordinary adventurer when I carry expensive equipment, while I'm too...callow and inexperienced to pose as a specialized adventurer - someone who kills giants and such. I suppose I could pose as someone who's got a rich inheritance, or someone whose father had a job of killing giants, or maybe both? What do you think, and what are the weaknesses of this story?"

[color=violet]"I think you should have that if anyone questions you, but nobody goes out of their way to ask people about their background. Especially if that person is trying to save them."[/color] she considered for a brief moment his accent, would anyone pick up on it? Probably not... Giray is a fairly long way away. [i][color=violet]They'll just mark him down as foreign[/color][/i]. [color=violet]"Either way, I wouldn't flash those guns around. You may offend a lot of people for using an honourless weapon. Most people in our party won't mind, we're more pragmatic than lords or knights. If I think of anything else, I'll tell you. That's our agreement"[/color]

Ioannes nodded, actually happy.

"Thanks, Tirrarian;" he chuckled in the way that socially inept people did when trying to express gratitude. "You're a literal life-saver, and I'll be using my sword more, then in public."

"Anyway, we'd better get out of the alley, then?"

She nodded in agreement. [color=violet]"Someone might think we're up to something."[/color]

[color=violet]"Where did Izzy want us to meet again?"[/color]

"Maybe we should go back to the Tavern?" asked Ioannes, "or perhaps your...friend is still buying salves and poultices, and we can still reach her?"

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet_system

[@The Harbinger of Ferocity], [@Belwicket], [@Jon Y], [@The Fated Fallen], [@Dragoknighte], [@boomlover], [@KazeXDZ], [@IcePezz].