The Adventurous Vagrant

SPO4 Iswantus, Sharpshooter (1)

Temple of the Most High.

Fiaco, Mielong Prefecture.

A long-haired man with a mustache calmly walks towards what is called the confessional booth, where he can confess his transgressions to one of the temple's many ministers.

And as he enters one side of the booth, which is clearly labeled “For Penitents Only”, he can immediately hear the man on the other side of the booth, who is clearly a minister.

“Good morning, child of the Most High. What do you want to confess today?”

“I... admit I stole a lollipop from a child yesterday. Some say this is one of the vilest sins one can commit, next to murder and homicide.”

“And did you actually eat it, by licking it continuously until you reach the center?”

“Y-Yes, Father. I was so hungry at that time, and I couldn't see any food stalls nearby. I know I have truly sinned, for I have deprived a child of their simple joy.”

“I think... there's a hole in your confession.”

“What?”

“I actually spotted you at that time. When you took that child's candy, you were near a hole-in-the-wall restaurant specializing in pasta and noodle dishes. You should've spent a bit of cash there instead of spending nothing yet depriving a child of their happiness!”

“Then who are you, really?”

“An ordinary member of the constabulary, currently off-duty.”

“Oh crap! I've been found out!”

“Not so fast!”

The long-haired man gets out of the confession both, but is then spotted by the constabulary officer pretending to be a minister.

Frustrated that his cover was blown, he brings out his bow and arrow and attempts to shoot the officer who busted him.

But the constabulary officer is also an archer, and thus he fires back at the candy-stealing man.

Commotion soon brews at the temple, as the parishioners huddle to get out in a panic lest they may be accidental targets for the two dueling archers.

As the two also eventually get out of the temple, they continue on opening fire at each other, with their arrows landing in various places other than the (thankfully) body parts of would-be unlucky victims of accidental civilian shots.

They keep on chasing through Kiso Street, the street where the temple lies.

In between the chases and exchanges of arrows, they find covers in walls, posts, and houses of other people, where they can reload before opening fire again.

The chase continues onto Nokifriti Street, which crosses with Kiso Street.

It's also infamously called “Ah, What I Have Stepped On?” Street because it is full of those... road apples... left behind by stray dogs as well as irresponsible pet owners who couldn't bother to clean up after their pets' dumps.

This adds another layer of risk, since the two don't want to get embarrassed by stepping on animal dung and have their reputations getting all literally stinky.

The candy thief and the off-duty officer continue opening fire at each other, with the arrows landing on random piles of dung left unaccounted for on the street.

After leaving that disgusting section behind, the two then go on their own, finding ways to finally outmaneuver each other.

The officer finds cover at a nearby wall that is part of a just-demolished house.

The thief finds himself in a somewhat peaceful sidewalk of Raori Street.

While the officer takes his time...

...another officer, who just happens to be his best buddy, chances upon the thief, judging from his suspicious motions amidst a non-hostile environment.

“Don't move, or I'll shoot!”

The other officer points his already-loaded crossbow at him.

The thief is startled by this, and relying on nothing but his slyness, responds thus...

“Hey! This guy's attempting to rob me! Beat him up, guys!”

And so, relying on the power of mob mentality, people who were seconds ago minding their own business in the sidewalk are now ganging up on the poor police officer.

“No! Don't hurt me! He deceived you all! I'm an off-duty officer, for the sake of the Most High!”

The thief immediately scrams out of the scene, triumphant at his simple trickery.

One minute later...

The officer with the bow and arrow arrives at the scene in Raori Street.

He finds his buddy all covered in bruises as the townspeople finally had their fill of “vigilante justice”.

And knowing that the thief he was pursuing moments ago got away, he can only say to himself...

“Blast it! That cur!”

But first, he must tend to his buddy's many injuries.

As the King's Cup draws to a close, a messenger approaches me with a letter.

“Good day to you, Mr. Deschantes. Here's a letter for you.”

“Thanks. I'll read it right away.”

The messenger leaves, and I get to read the letter as crowds are slowly filing out of Gariarth Arena.

To Mr. Walter Deschantes:

I, Inspector Kenny Mills of the Constabulary Precinct of Fiaco, Mielong Prefecture, am asking for your help. I have arranged a special quest where you must assist one of my men in hunting down a notorious fugitive. For more details, you can proceed to my office within the town precinct. Oh, and before you ask, this quest has the blessing of the constabulary chief, as he also has knowledge of that fugitive beforehand.

May we work together for a noble cause of bringing a criminal to justice.

Respectfully yours,

Inspector Kenny Mills

Town Precinct Chief

Fiaco, Mielong Prefecture

“I just can't say no, can I?”

And so, with a Teleportation Feather...

I'm back in Fiaco. For the second time, I think.

Last I planted my feet there was roughly five years ago, on one of my very first quests after being certified as an adventurer.

The quest I undertook? Sheltering a lost little kitten.

When I finished that quest, that kitty was rightfully adopted by a woman who was suffering from depression and basically wanted a pet to alleviate her condition.

And now, I'm back... with a much more difficult quest.

As I enter the town precinct, I'm immediately greeted by Inspector Mills, as well as the town's guild mistress, Gloria Yuuri Sevilla Uy.

“Good day, Mr. Deschantes.”

After shaking hands, we immediately get into a simple table discussion over some tea and cookies.

“So, Mr. Deschantes, here is the entire brief of the specially-arranged quest.”

The guild mistress then hands me a special quest scroll that shows all what I want to know.

“A Sharpshooter Needs Help”

Quest ID: 1019-1431

Quest Difficulty: 7

Party Requirement: Only one person is required to start this quest; specifically, Mr. Walter Deschantes of Lebenswasserheim Burghal. Quest starter will also join in the quest as ranged fighter.

Quest Brief:

I am SPO4 Christian Iswantus of the Royal Constabulary. By direct order of my superior, Inspector Kenny Mills of the Constabulary Precinct of Fiaco, Mielong Prefecture, you are hereby assigned to assist me in hunting down a fugitive who is seemingly invincible. As for the reason my unit has chosen you, one of my closest civilian friends has heard of your exploits, especially your inventiveness and quick thinking that gave you an edge in the quests you undertook and completed with flying colors. You will also be fighting alongside the members of the Tactical Strikers Team I lead in order to bring the fugitive to justice. I hope you will not let all of us down, Sir Walter.

Now let me explain the ranking system of the kingdom's constabulary officers.

Constabulary officers are divided into two categories: Commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Commissioned officers occupy the higher rungs of the constabulary, while non-commissioned officers occupy the lower ones.

The highest rank for the commissioned officers is Director General, and the overall chief of the constabulary solely has this rank. The lowest CO rank, meanwhile, is Inspector; and a person of that rank can lead a local town precinct.

As for the non-commissioned officers, the ranks are given as thus, in descending order: Senior Police Officer Tier 4 (SPO4), Senior Police Officer Tier 3 (SPO3), Senior Police Officer Tier 2 (SPO2), Senior Police Officer Tier 1 (SPO1), Police Officer Tier 3 (PO3), Police Officer Tier 2 (PO2), and Police Officer Tier 1 (PO1).