Slateport was strangely lively even after the sun started to go down as the market was brightly lit with paper lanterns that held slow burning candles within them. The buildings were all made of metal and plastic which I figured was likely because of the location of the city being right next to the open ocean. Unlike Mr. Brineys house however that was in a calm area with little winds and thus mostly safe from the seawater Slateport was right in a windy and heavily waved area. Obviously easily corrodible materials wouldn't be a good idea for the buildings here as a result.-
It also came as little surprise to find that the population of Slateport was heavily mixed as far as ethnicities were concerned. there were people with dark skin , people with slanted eyes , people with sharp angular features as well as those with naturally soft ones. As a result even with my own appearance few people actually spared me more than a curious glance as I passed. With my sharp senses I could see things that most people would ignore such as the deft movement of some peoples hands in the pockets of others bent over to examine merchandise on the ground.-
I watched these thieves calmly while also watching the merchants selling things to see if they noticed these happenings. I wasn't surprised to see that most of them did in fact see it happening but chose to ignore it in either laziness or in a few cases joy at the act. ' Looks like a few of the merchants aren't as upstanding as they appear. I should start with them to find the traffickers.' I thought coldly before stepping into the shadows of a nearby alley to wait for my prey to leave the herd.-
Despite my size and stature I blended into the shadows quite well due to my darkened skin from the sun beating down on it. Hours passed and finally one of the merchants that had joy in their eyes after seeing the thievery in front of them left the market. It was a portly man with greasy brown hair that was pressed against his head by a red ballcap and bulbous facial features. The merchant walked casually through the streets towards the port area which I recognized as a way to avoid drawing attention.-
On earth I had done the same thing to stay away from any sort of conversation while I walked. The way it worked was quite simple really as humans tended to make assumptions often you tricked them into thinking you belonged in an area by acting confident and casual. This only worked if you didn't stand out very much like the merchant however. I didn't need to do that however as I stuck to the shadows while tailing the man so I remained out of sight. This paid off too as he reached the disused warehouses in the city and walked to a certain one.-
After looking around cautiously he pulled out a screw from a metal wall and lifted to push it to the side with a grunt of effort as it was clearly heavy. This revealed a large hole behind it that he entered once he finished checking to make sure he wasn't being followed. The metal wall moved slowly back into place seamlessly hiding the presence of the hole. I am willing to admit that whoever set it up this way did so in a fantastic way as if I hadn't seen the mans actions I would never have found this out.-
Walking to the wall calmly I lifted it easily and moved it to the side without a sound before ducking down to enter the hole. Looking around I found that the warehouse was filled with old wooden crates that were clearly rotten and falling apart but worked to block view to the hole perfectly. "What was todays profit?" a male voice asked eagerly and the faint sound of a bag getting emptied could be heard by me as I closed the hole behind me. "A few thousand poke` and some loose jewelry boss." A younger male voice said pridefully as I crept closer.-
Once I got close enough I peeked around the debris carefully and spotted the merchant along with two others huddling near a old but mostly intact crate sorting through the things on it. Besides the merchant the remaining two people were a young man who didn't look older than sixteen with blonde hair and a thin almost skeletal figure and a little girl no more than twelve in a pink sundress and sweet looking appearance. The girl had a sneer on her face though as she mocked her victims for their naivety.-
I leaned back behind the debris and whispered to Tank on my shoulder "String them up after I take out the light from that lamp they are using." I said seriously and he nods. I reach down and pull a rock up from the ground before making my move. In one fluid motion i stood up with my arm cocked back and threw the stone as hard as I could straight into the lamp shattering the glass and extinguishing the flame within. The darkness of the night instantly consumes myself and the trio of criminals as they cry out in alarm before Tank gets them with his silk.-
"Who the fuck is here , show yourself you fucking coward!" the portly merchants yells angrily while looking around as his eyes adjust to the dim moonlight. All three of them are struggling with their bonds as I step out of the shadows into the light calmly. Three pairs of eyes immediately lock onto me and widen in fear. "W-what d-do you want?" the merchant asked nervously as he stared up at me. I walked over to him and crouched down before staring at him "I want information that I think you have and even if you don't you should know who does." I say calmly.-
"Sure sure skinny Jim's definitely got whatever you want to know!" the man said bobbing his head like a chicken in fearful agreement. I smile in a friendly manner "Good so I am looking for a smuggler or group of smugglers operating in this city who recently lost one of their ships off the coast south of Rustboro , know who I mean?" I asked casually. The mans eyes widened in terror "You are after the traffickers!" he whispered in horror and struggled against the silk binding even harder. -
I pulled out my spear and slammed the pommel against the ground cracking the old concrete in several places. "I won't ask again." I said dropping the pretenses and making it clear compliance was in his best interest. "Look friend , buddy , pal please ask anything but that! They aren't your everyday crooks like us here , those people are monsters in human skin! The last guy that snitched on them ended up in twenty pieces in a trash bag outside the Jenny's place!" The man pleaded in terror. I lean in real close to him a say calmly "I'm worse." I say while letting out all my bottled up animosity towards the traffickers and the smell of piss and shit fills the air as the three crooks lose control of themselves in pure unadulterated fear.