Mission Report (NPC Thread For Nagami)

In one of the lowest sections of the Slums, down even below most of the cruddiest places some people had to call home. Rested a rather large office that had been professionally built up using the scrap materials the lined the floors of the area. It had a makeshift path leading up to the place and was even one of the only locations in the Slums that had signposts directing people in its direction with one huge neon sign resting above the place reading "The Gate." It was a fairly well known place to the residents of the Slums, most of who feared the location for one reason or another. Whether fearing those who came and went from there or the horrors that lurked in the Under, which as far as anyone knew, was only accessible from within The Gate. It was also known for being the housing of the First Floor Fleet. A gang of sorts lead by none other than Gate himself that attempted to keep the Slums a safe and well managed place. Though their methods were not always completely honest. Those who had nothing to fear from them would also use the place to seek help from someone who was threatening them or the likes, almost acting as the justice system for the Slums where the real police had lost control.


"Sir. I report with good news." A raspy voice would speak out from seemingly nowhere as Gate raised his feet to rest his boots up on his desk and lean back on his chair with a pleased smile on his face.

"Good work, Fosnur. You never fail to disappoint. Tell me, in more detail. How did your mission go my friend?" Gate responded in a calm and collected tone. Resting his hands behind his head as he leant further back on his chair.

A wisp of smoke lowered into the room as Fosnur began recounting his mission. "All the information we were given was accurate, sir. There was a group of thugs causing havoc over at Eastern Slums. Though, just like the client told us, it was only the crews leader who was a real git. The rest were being forced into helping him, being told to help or else he'd kill them himself. I watched with my own eyes one of those exact scenes play out, as such, it was clear what would be the path of least resistance. Waiting for him to be far enough away from his men with his back turned..."


The demon would laugh deeply to himself, revealing his true form from the mist and preforming the stabbing motion into thin air to re-enact the scene. Slowly pulling his dagger back towards himself and sheathing it. "The rest didn't seem to know what to do at first. Though none of them made an attempt to attack me as I walked out. I'll keep an eye out, but I'm fairly certain we wont need to be worrying about them anymore."

With a light nod, Gate would open one of the draws of his desk, pulling a small brown sack out and tossing it towards Fosnur who after catching it and pocketing it himself would bow respectfully towards Gate before beginning to head towards the door to leave. Notifying Gate when he noticed that someone else was heading towards their office.

"Another visitor?" Gate raised one eye at this, he hadn't received any note of another scheduled meeting with anyone. Though, it was always interesting to see why people bothered to wander all the way down here. "Do us a favour and welcome them for me, buddy."

I had my CD player on... Although I usually didn't listen to music outside of work and home this was a special case. As I walked down the winding path following the signs I couldn't help but feel chills down my spine. I stopped and took a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting the music fill my ears. Free jazz really was the best to listen to when trying to calm your nerves.

It had taken a lot of guts and work to find this place. Not many people even in the slums visit The Gate often. Even less were willing to talk about it if they ever went there before. However, it was the only known entrance to the one place that no one has seen before... The Under. There were many rumors talking about the horrors that lurked there and of the things that lay beyond the Gate. Of course along with those tales were those of the First Floor Fleet, the secret law keepers of the Slums and guardians of this place.

It took ages to gather all this information, from all my years living on Junction word of The Gate was probably the hardest to come by. Just a word here and there, no way to verify the truth of most of their claims. Most of what I had heard was not pleasant but in the end, I had to see for myself. Navigating the maze that was the slums just to get here was a challenge in itself. I had Magnum Opus strapped across my back, more for protection during my journey than anything else. From all my time here I had never dared venture this deep below before, going to the lower levels of the slums was scary enough... Going here was probably the most insane thing I've ever thought of. On my hip, Free Jazz continued to below out. I knew from what I was told that whoever the Fleet were, they probably didn't like surprise company. So I continued to walk, the music acting to help steel my nerves but also announcing my arrival.

"Of course, sir." Fosnur would again bow respectfully to his boss before turning to head out of the front entrance of The Gate and making eye contact with the being who was heading down the path towards their stronghold. He would wait patiently, staring almost soullessly towards the human barely moving a muscle until he had came close enough to be able to hear him speak. "Welcome to The Gate, stranger." He'd address the visitor with an acknowledging nod of the head. "The boss is inside if you wished to speak with him. He's in a good mood today. So I'd make the most of it." The assassin would laugh under his breath as he said this, his body slowly enveloping in a cloud of smoke which as quickly as it surrounded his body, was once again gone with Fosnur now nowhere to be seen.

If the man decided to try the front door, he'd find it unlocked and be meet by the wry smile of Gate, whom was still leant fully back on his chair. "Welcome to The Gate, bud. What can I do you for?"

I bead of sweat dripped down my forehead as the strange being disappeared behind the smoke. If that wasn't foreboding than I didn't know what was. Hesitantly I opened the front door, as I was greeted by a man wearing a black coat who was leaning nonchalantly on the back of his chair. I couldn't help but grin, the image in front of me accompanied by the music in the background he looked like the embodiment of Free Jazz... Fearless, strong, and calm. It was a stark contrast to the surrounding area and my journey here. Somehow the sight gave me comfort as I pulled out a notebook and pen, "I was just wondering if we could have a chat?" I said as I stood in the doorway.

Gate's eyes would narrow almost instantly as the guy pulled out a notebook and pen. Lowering his feet off the desk and clunking them both one after the other onto the ground before leaning forward with his elbows now resting on his desk, his hand together and his chin resting on top of his hands. Staring still through narrowed eyes. "What are those for?" He'd ask bluntly. The tone of his voice drastically different from the friendly welcome he'd first offered. "What kind of chat? The hell do you want here?" Gate wasn't stupid, nor was he a man to take chances. He had his reasons to be suspicious now.

I was shocked at his reaction to my writing and recording utensils. However, after thinking about it I didn't think that the Fleet would take too kindly to reporters or other people trying to get dirt on them. I put my hands in the air, pen in one hand and the notebook in the other and slowly approached the desk. "I'm going to hand you these and you can see for yourself," I say, putting both of the items down in front of him.

If he opened it, he would find records of the people I had talked to within Junction. Stories about the things they've heard about but mostly about where they were from. From small details to how the grass looked to even what the planet was made out of or looked like. Along with that were some crudely drawn illustrations based on what they described to me. Of course, there were some other odd entries in there as well like the minotaur shopkeep who didn't talk much or my observations on Tiny Tin the cleaner robot who patrols the slums. "I like talking to people, learning about where they come from and the things they see here in Junction. I don't write a publication or tell others about what I hear, it's just something that I like to do to learn about the myriad of worlds and its people. When I ask citizens of Junction where I can find stories and things that I couldn't hear about anywhere else they always direct me here. I'm Nagami, and all I want is for you to tell me a story about your past or even your travels. Anything would do really." I explain as a shiver ran down my spine, it was a long shot but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wasn't going to let it just slide by.

With a slightly puzzled look on his face about what was happening, Gate would flip open the notebook. Picking it up and skimming through a few of the entries himself as the guy talked about what he actually used the thing for. Gate would raise an eye from the story of some minotaur shopkeeper to look at Nagami as he told his name before letting out an amused breath. "Name's Gate." He'd begin, closing the notebook yet keeping a firm grip on it in his right hand. "Though if you were down here and didn't know that already, you're even more stupid than you already are for being here."

Leaning his left arm forward slightly, Gate would tap up on a button located on the underside of the desk before withdrawing his hand to reopen the notebook again. "So, what. You're a writer who just writes for himself? I find that quite hard to believe, honestly. Not calling you a liar or anything, just seems like an odd thing to do." He'd pause in his talking as he paid more attention to reading a part about a "Tiny Tin" before smirking. "Though, it is true that Junction can be an overwhelming place of faces and sights. Jotting stuff down to help remember it all is smart. However. I'd still prefer to humbly request you not write anything down about me, The Gate, or any of the members of my Fleet. And I will promise you, if I ever find out that anything I've told you is written down, whether shown to anyone else or not. Well. Let's just say you wont be writing much after that. Capiche?"

"With time your memory of things fade, it's an inevitable part of life. I don't know if I'll ever recall everything I've seen in detail 10 or 20 years into the future. Plus... I have amnesia, I can't remember where I'm from or anything about my homeworld. It has taught me the value leaving records of what you experience... as proof that you existed." I say hesitantly, usually I'm not comfortable sharing details about my memory loss. However, if I wanted to stay here something told me I would have to be honest with Gate.

As he told me to refrain from writing I nodded in compliance. "I promise if that's what you want I won't write down anything about our encounter or what we talk about. Junction is a big place and it's somewhere that people from all across the multiverse congregate. I love it for what it is and I just want to learn more about it. If I comply with these requests will you let me hear about your experiences?

Gate would nod. "Yes. As I said it's a smart way to keep track of things, if not a little creepy if you do it without permission." Gate would smirk at his own comment about asking for permission, he was such a hypocrite normally. Maybe for once he'd actually give this guy a fair chance to say no to his demands instead of just outright doing it. As he was thinking this, another alien like creature stuck their head around one of the other doors of the office.


A rather short girl whom looked to be some form of sentient plant asked, responding to an alert she got from Gate pressing the button under his desk. She too carried a notepad and pen in her hand and smiled brightly into the room, her wide floral styled eyes seeming to fill the room itself with energy.

Nodding towards her, Gate would continue to address Nagami for the moment. "Now I'm going to give you a choice. Let's call it, a counter offer. You want a story from me? Okay, fine. But from you, I want your permission to let Kazzie here scan and copy the information from your notebook. There's a lot of information about a lot of different people in here. Could prove extremely useful to us." He paused and placed his hand that wasn't holding the book over his heart. "I promise you will get it back afterwards. Deal?"

My heart skipped a beat as I heard his counter offer. These were the lives of other people, written and recorded in that notebook. Could I just willingly hand all of it over to hear something from Gate? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity if I spoiled this chance I might not get another one. However, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything bad with the information written down... right? Even if that were the case personal things written in there about people's homes and lives.

I took a deep breath, this was a tough decision, one that could affect the outcome of this conversation. I closed my eyes, the free jazz filling my ears as suddenly I recalled the words of my old man.


With that, I stopped the music and opened my eyes, filled with determination. As much as I respected Gate and wanted to know more about him, I couldn't just agree to everything he proposes. "That's a bit unfair don't you think? One story for the stories and lives of many. You wanted to protect your own privacy at first, and alas I'm afraid I have to do the same for the sake of those names written down in there. I'm not sure every single person who's been documented in that book will appreciate having their information given to a stranger." As I said that Blake's face flashed in my mind. If she knew I gave her entry over I don't think I'll ever be allowed in Heaven's Door ever again. "I will cut a deal with you. For every story you tell you get one in return. If you have someone specific you want to learn about or need a person with a particular skillset you can request it and I'll try to match your needs. But I can't just hand it all over to you in one go." I say, eyeing the newcomer that just came in. In hindsight I was in a bad spot, this was their headquarters and the book was in Gate's hands. If he wanted to he could take it by force. If I tried defending it, I'd probably end up badly hurt or worse. But I had to try... I couldn't go back up and stare everybody else in the eyes if I didn't. "I was entrusted with these tales by the people of Junction and I can't just let you have them all just like that."

Gate would once again narrow his eyes. He'd place the notebook down on the desk in front of him but keep his hands on top of it. He'd seem to stare towards you quite vacantly as if he wasn't even using his eyes at all for the moment and was just lost in thought. He stayed unblinking for around twenty second before letting out a sigh. "Ya know. As much as I hate being told no, especially after giving you an offer of my own, which, not many people get by the way." He'd pause again, raising one side of his mouth still debating something within his head. "Though, you're sticking up for yourself for the sake of others. Which is a pretty admirable trait. One that may end up getting you killed, honestly, but it's still admirable."

Though he was complementing the guy on standing up for others, and as much as he did genuinely believe that to be an admiral thing to do, Gate still couldn't help but feel annoyed he'd turned down his offer. "One of my stories for three of yours." He'd announced after another moment of silence in thought. "That's the final offer I'm giving you."

I decided to take some time to think before responding. The basics of bargaining, that was one of the first things I had learned when the Old Man brought me to Market Lane. I knew that whatever I gave Gate more than likely he would increase the amount he would get in return. He would give me a story and I would give 3 of mine, but I would get to choose who I would hand over. More importantly, I also didn't really have a choice in the matter. Gate still had my book, plus I was in his domain. I would have to concede, "Alright, we have a deal. But before we go any further, I'd like the notebook back."

No matter what deal I cut I needed to have those entries back in my hands. It's the only bargaining chip I had at the moment and it was still being held right under his palm. At any moment he could tamper with it or secretly copy its contents down. I wouldn't put it past him, as much as I know he fights for noble causes I've also learned he isn't against playing a little dirty. Take a step back from the situation, he never called for Kazzie, and I doubt that she would be first in line to come to her leader's side when there's an unexpected visitor in the room. That means that he needed her specifically and had a way of summoning her once he got a general idea of the situation. Of course, I could be reading too much into it, but giving him the benefit of the doubt wouldn't help me here.

Hm. So he agreed, good, in a way. Some of the information from this book of his could prove very useful, though, the problem was still now having to tell the lad about something to do with him... And now, where to start? Gate would place the notebook off to the side, on the left middle part of his desk from where Nagami would be before placing a pile of other random books he had on his desk on top of it. "There. Now neither of us have to worry about the other suddenly running off with this thing without having ample time to react." The Under Boss would smirk, leaning his elbows back on his desk to use his hands as a rest for his head as he thought of what to tell this boy.
"You've heard of the Under." Gate would begin. "The far reaches of Junction located even below this here Slums? Well you probably also know that there is but one only known entrance to said place. And it's here, this is The Gate to the Under after all. Not many people truly know what's down there, even fewer have seen it with their own eyes and even fewer still have seen it and lived to tell the tales. I lost many a good man down there, though they all know the truth and all know how important it is. They willingly came, and unfortunately not everyone made it back." His face would go solemn for a moment, thinking about those who he'd never be able to see again. "There's a third eye that watches. Far off from anyone's sight. It looms over all hidden below, it torments any who's unfortunate enough to cross it's gaze. It knows not anything, but the feeling of curiosity and hate... Old Slum legends say the eye watches even us, from the cracks in the floors, that it is the eye that looks through the veil, that it judges each and every one of us. Yet this is only one part of a greater whole..." There would be a brief pause, a feeling of a chilled breeze would be suddenly apparent. "Hell, it's probably watching us right now."

I gulped as Gate told me his tale. "You're kidding right? There's something that watches over the Under and maybe all of Junction?" What's worse was the fact that it seemed that whatever it was, it wasn't friendly to those who trespassed. Even though this news has sent me into a state of shock I needed to collect myself before proceeding. I wasn't getting this information for free so I needed to ask my next questions carefully. Whittle away the panic and the fear leaving only what was important. Did I really want to know more? Was the bliss of ignorance better than knowing the hard truth? Part of me knew that for something like Junction to exist there had to be a darker side to it.

"You said that you lost a lot of good men... down there. If the eye watches, then what does the dirty work? What does the eye want? If it's truly as omnipotent as the tales say then why does it choose to lurk within the underbelly of Junction?" I ask, a shiver running down my spine and cold sweat dripping down my back. This was big, bigger than what I had originally thought. But I couldn't turn back now... if I was going to know I had to know as much as possible.

Gate would narrow his eyes at the question with quite a displeased look on his face. "Do I look like the sort of person who jokes around?" His tone was serious and his gaze seemed to pierce into Nagami as if just by looking at him he was in some way affecting him. "Everything I said is one of my own stories. Every word. Just like you asked. We could lock you down in the Under if you really wanted to prove me wrong, though, I'm sure your smart enough to know how stupid of an idea that would be." Gate would take a moment to look away from Nagami and back over to Kazzie who'd been waiting patiently and listening to their conversation. A clear look of distress had taken over her face replacing her original happy demeanor from hearing the story. "Sorry you had to listen to that again Kazzie, I know you lost your sister down there. I should have dismissed you before starting the story."


"Three of your stories, yes?" Gate would readdress Nagami, ignoring his further questioning on the topic. "You said I could ask for something that may match a description. I need information namely on shadey characters that live in the Slums. That or any authorities that you may have information on. Do not disappoint me Nagami. Show Kazzie which stories you will be supplying us with." His more serious tone of voice would keep present as he spoke, pulling the notebook out from under the pile of books on his desk and handing it towards Nagami to find the stories he'd give them.