Dead Drop [Story]

[Nahu]

[tab=30]Nahue walked through the dark alleys of Limsa Lominsa, Dalamud shining brightly overhead. He wore an overcoat that night, a dark cloak and hood underneath. He carried himself well, a small cadence to his step as his boots scraped against the cobblestone. He slid his hood over his head, concealing his face from view. He had dealt with these men before, but nothing of this size. A dead drop, as usual. It was the safest thing for him and his father. He couldn't risk it otherwise. This was definitely something that would get them both killed.

 

[tab=30]The terms of the arrangement had already been established the week prior. Tonight, it was setting up the delivery. The item in question was currently sitting in the basement of his father's shop. Not the best place to store something of this kind, but it was the only place he could think of at the time. Getting it to the dead drop location would be another matter entirely. He shook that thought from his head, "One step at a time," he thought. Right now, he needed to drop off the note that would let them know where he was leaving the item in question.

 

[tab=30]His pace quickened as the wind picked up. It was a chilly night, and with the ocean winds, it hit straight to the bone. He approached the drop location, sliding the note between two wooden boards, looking for a moment before pulling out a small envelope hidden underneath. The location in general was well hidden, and the drop spot wouldn't be noticeable at first glance, only to those who actively looked for something there would see it. He exhaled sharply, returning to his father's shop while opening the envelope. The first half of the payment was inside, the other half to be designated after they get the item. "Time to get it," he thought as he briskly walked back through the alleyways. A thought did cross his mind however, taking the first half of the payment and skipping town, though, that'd put his father in danger, and they'd surely track him down. Not a good idea by any means.

 

[tab=30]Nahue arrived at the shop shortly thereafter, heading down in the basement where it resided. He glanced at the large object, hidden under a tarp. He grabbed one end of the cloth, pulling it away slowly. As the tarp fell away, it revealed the waist and legs of a large magitek mech. Nahue had been working on it for awhile, attempting to make it work without the chassis, to no avail. His buyer might have better luck, but with Dalamud approaching, he thought it'd be better to sell the thing and make off with the profits rather than leaving it to rust. He smirked as he gave the machine a final once over, remembering when he had found the thing.

 

[tab=30]It was only a couple months ago, he was out in La Noscea, scavenging for anything of use for his father's business. He had just climbed up a small rock formation when he had seen smoke rising from the air. Curiousity got the better of him and he quickly rushed over to see what had caused it. To his surprise, it was the wreckage of the mech, surrounded by dead Garlean soldiers. He didn't know what happened to them, nor did he care to. He quickly put out the smoke so no one would discover him, or this piece of tech. A rarity to be sure, a very very illegal one at that. There was no way he'd leave this out here.

 

[tab=30]He did his best, using nearby tree branches to cover it up before heading off to the nearest camp. Luckily, he was able to find a merchant selling some wares. A few things purchased; a tarp, a wooden board, and a hefty length of rope. After making it back to the wreckage, he laid the wooden board on the ground, and with a bit of science, he managed to prop up the mech on the board using the rope and gravity. He then fastened the mech to the wood, secured it under the tarp, and began pulling. It only took him seven or eight hours to reach Limsa, a lot faster than he thought it would take. By then, he was under the cover of nightfall and easily able to drag it into the city and to the shop.

 

[tab=30]He grinned as he looked at it, a good memory. He sighed, pulling the tarp back over the magitek, securing it with rope once more. This time he thought ahead, making sure to secure a caravan for that evening. The caravan had already pulled up beside the shop, near the basement door, ready for the pickup. He walked outside, giving a nod to the driver. A friend of his fathers, a trustworthy one at that. They worked together to get the bundled up piece of machinery into the back of the caravan, of which only took 20 minutes. He smiled, giving the driver a handshake, hopping in to the back of the caravan.

 

[tab=30]"Tha usual place Nahu?" The man grunted from the front of the wagon. Nahu whispered, "Aye...Thanks once more for this Gayle." The old man shrugged, "Leas' I could do for Ivan's son."

 

[tab=30]Gayle, was one of Ivan's oldest friends, always willing to help out his family as needed, and Nahue was no exception. Gayle had done a few runs like this with Nahu, helping out the Tanners whenever needed, and it wasn't without due compensation either. Nahue would make sure of that, especially with this drop.

 

[tab=30]They headed off, out of Limsa to the spot designated by Nahue where the magitek would be dropped off. Nahue and Gayle loaded the machine off the wagon, near a cliffside, not noticeable from the road. He opened his envelope and poured the contents into his hands; TO BE FILLED IN. He tossed Gayle one of the smaller coins and nodded, "I'll walk back." The man nodded in return, heading back to his wagon and driving off back to Limsa.

 

[tab=30]Nahue looked around the area where the treasure lay, trying to find a spot to hide. He saw a nice outcropping of rocks just atop the cliffside, only about seven feet up too, an easy climb. He gracefully grabbed a hold of the formation, scaling it with ease. Slowly he moved to the rocks, kneeling down to hide. Here he would wait for the men to pick up their prize, here he would wait for the rest of his money..

 

[tab=30]Nahue didn't mind the two hour wait ahead of him. There wasn't a cloud in the sky; every single star was crisp and bright, minus the ones near Dalamud. He enjoyed the moonlight, it was peaceful and calm that night, with only an odd bird chirp or two throughout the night. He took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing, waiting in anticipation for the men to arrive. He had a feeling that the other party wouldn't hold up their end of the bargain, first payment or not. These were the types to pay you, get what they want, then kill you and take their money back. "Not this time," Nahu thought. His ears perked up towards some voices in the distance, "That must be them," he thought once more. He fidgeted, waiting to see them appear from the darkness. There were two men, wheeling a caravan of their own, torches in their hands. Odd thing to see, when you are someone who doesn't want to get noticed. He shrugged to himself, waiting for them to approach.

 

[tab=30]"Ya fink tha' lad'll actually believe 'e's getten' his money?" One of the men spoke; it was the one on the left, pretty tall, rotund to boot, definitely hyur.

 

[tab=30]The other man, a small wormy thing, a lalafell by the looks, sneered, "Considerin' 'e's left it 'ere, I'd say so." They both chuckled to themselves, hopping off the caravan. The little one spoke again, "Won' 'e surprised when 'im and 'is pop both get clobbered in?"

 

[tab=30]The hyur replied, "Can' be surprised if yer dead." The chuckled again as they loaded the magitek onto the caravan.

 

[tab=30]Nahue frowned, whispering under his breath, "Called it." He pulled out a miniature telescope from one of his pouches under his coat, checking to see the contents of the caravan. "Arseholes still brought the money with them!" He smirked, thinking to himself. He crawled silently to the edge of the cliffside, hopping down as quietly as possible. He froze for a moment, waiting to see if they had heard him. They hadn't. He stealthy maneuvered around the other side of the caravan. While the two thugs were busy securing the mech, he quietly slipped in, grabbed the pouch full of gil and slid back out. Nahue made sure to be very careful to not let the purse jingle as he slipped it under his cloak. He grinned, listening for a moment. Pure silence. He went pale, turning to see the men facing him.

 

[tab=30]"Oi! Think yer goin' somewhere lad?" The lalafell spat. Nahue folded his arms,leaning back against the wagon.

 

[tab=30]"No, but I imagine you will be." The men seemed confused, looking to each other. Nahue's ears perked as the sound of chain and metal approached, "Right on time too." Nahue pointed behind the two men; they looked to see the Lominsian guard approaching on their Chocobos.

 

[tab=30]"HALT!" The two men shrieked, heading off in different directions. Nahue held his hands up as the guards approached, "I told you sirs, there were going to be some men out here smuggling," He paused, pointing in both directions, "Just doing my duty, they each ran in opposite directions." The guards nodded, chasing after the men. "Can't believe they didn't see that one coming," Nahu muttered, as he walked towards Limsa, to get his father, and their belongings, out of the city.

 

END.

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