Ural has a new crisis. Some citizens have fallen out in the streets after consuming dangerous herbs. A new profession has taken flight in the city, herb dealing. The Earth Kingdom Chief Ponto and detective Lukeno pace around a recent crime scene.
It is a cloudy and foggy day. The sky is grey, and it is difficult to see past ten feet. Ponto: "We've got to bust these dealers, they are making a mess of Ural."
Lukeno: "I agree, they seem to have come in from a different Earth Kingdom city."
Ponto: "Where might that be?"
Lukeno: "Homallu." Homallu is a costal industrial town on the eastern end of the Earth Kingdom. It is loaded with pollution and corruption. Homallu's fields hold many strong herbs, and various potions are made there.
Ponto: "That explains a lot."
Lukeno: "Indeed it does. They will do anything for a profit, these ravenous wolves. Now they look to make a name for themselves since that city is already infested with debauchery."
Ponto: "I know someone who might help us." Ponto and Yonic-Bow call Rosh's team in.
Ponto: "Can you help us?"
Rosh: "Of course." Rosh steps out with Holku and Lika. Rosh: "I don't have much experience tracking down herb dealers. I'm used to a different kind of fight, the battle lines."
Lika: "You sure agreed like you had experience."
Rosh: "What did you expect me to do? Our team needs work. And I want to protect Ural."
Holku: "Are you sure lying is a good way to that?"
Rosh: "To be honest I'm not." Yonic-Bow waves for the team to follow him.
Lika: "Say Rosh, we never made a team name."
Rosh: "The Resolution Squad."
Holku: "That works, I'm not good with making up names."
Rosh: "Then at least you have me." Yonic-Bow takes the team into a questioning room. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all grey. A black-haired man is tied to a chair.
It is Basinto, a minor herbs dealer. Basinto has fair skin, a crooked nose, stands at 5'9, light green eyes, and seems to be an average size. Basinto is just nineteen years old. There is a metal table across him.
Yonic: "This man sells herbs, see if you can get any info out of him."
Rosh waves, "Hey, we can make it worth your while and get you out of here." Basinto remains silent. Rosh: "You already screwed up, if you continue down this path you will rot in jail. Is that really what you want?"
Basinto sighs. Rosh snatches the back of the man's head, "THINK ABOUT IT?!!" Basinto gasps in confusion by Rosh's rapid switch in mood and response. Rosh lets go of the herb dealer.
A second later, Rosh grabs Basinto again and slams his head into the metal table. Basinto falls over and Rosh wraps both of his hands against the young man's shirt, "I will take you in the enigma fields if you don't change."
Basinto: "Enigma fields? What are you talking about?"
Holku: "I have no clue what he's referring to."
Rosh blurts, "It's a LAND of utter MYSTERY. Where dogs walk up properly like men. Where insects grow from vines. It is a place of great fear and wonder. And I will shove your head in the soil, and it will swallow you up. Believe me, I've seen some crazy crap."
Holku gulps. Basinto becomes hysterical, "Fine."
Rosh leans in closer, "What?"
Bastino: "FINE!! Don't take me to that weird place. Just let me go."
Rosh: "Well you know it doesn't work that easily. I need some information from you."
Basinto whimpers, "I'll do whatever you want." Rosh, Holku, and Lika step outside.
Holku: "Are we ever going to have to go to that land?"
Rosh: "What land?"
Holku looks at Rosh sideways. Rosh: "Oh the, you believed that too?"
Holku: "I knew it."
Rosh: "With all I've seen, who's to say it isn't possible." A couple of days later, Basinto paces around a quiet corner of town. He notices three shady figures and slowly approaches them.
Herb dealer: "Did you come up with your cut?"
Basinto gives the man a few shekels. Herb dealer: "This is better than usual."
Basinto: "I want a chance to meet Vestin."
Herb dealer: "You're going to need more than one good trip to meet Vestin. But he has an even in a few weeks, if you keep coming in hot, you might get to see him."
Rosh's team watches in the distance with binoculars. Holku: "How long do you think it will take for us to meet this Vestin guy?"
Rosh: "Probably a few weeks. For now, we wait. The government will give him payments as long as he plays along. Then when the time is right, we bust these guys down."
Basinto heads for another shipment a few weeks later. Herb dealer: "This looks good, you've earned your gold ticket."
Basinto grins, "I knew my time would come."
Herb dealer: "You're still a little dog in this game but at least you gained some of our respect with the cuts you brought in."
Basinto: "So when and where."
Herb dealer: "In two days at the alley near the Southeastern crossing. Come a quarter till midnight." Basinto arrives in the dark alley in brown robes. He notices two men gatekeeping. Basinto passes his inspection.
About thirty people gather and a man steps in the middle of the formation. He is tall with copper brown skin, thin eyebrows, curly dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and a sword strapped on his back. It is Vestin, "Welcome all. Soon, I look to make my place in the center of this dirt ring. But first, we must decide how to distribute a new hefty package pesticene that I received. This herb has a potent fruity flavor that will get people addicted in one sip of herbal tea."
A loud bust of red-orange fire blasts two guards aside. Holku swoops over and pecks a guard in the nose with the hilt of his cutlass. The duo stand firm as Lika enters a battle stance behind them. Lika pulls her hands down and a streak of stones drop five herb dealers. People panic in the thick of the commotion and Vestin decides to just run.
Vestin shouts, "Out of my way!!" The dealer pushes another man over before he climbs over a wall and jumps down. Rosh enters the middle of the formation, and three men run at him. The captain crosses his right leg and subdues his pursuers with a spout of flames.
Vestin continues his run past several local shops when Holku steps a few feet in front of him, "Sorry, I'm a master navigator. You could only run so long before I caught you."
Vestin draws his sword, "You'll never take me alive!"
Rosh steps behind him, "I'll take you any way I please." Vestin holds his guard, and Rosh kicks a streak of fire at him. The dealer performs a right cartwheel and Holku is knocked over instead.
Holku: "Gah!"
Rosh: "Oh, sorry Holku."
Vestin: "You incompetent fool, you are not worthy." Rosh hurls a fire rod behind Vestin. The explosion knocks bricks on top of the criminal, incapacitating him. Holku rises and dusts himself off.
Rosh: "Looks like we got one step closer to cracking this case." Vestin wakes up in a questioning room.
Holku: "So this guy is just a mid-tier dealer. He's bigger than our last lead but not quite what we're going for."
Rosh leans in, "Who runs the dirt ring?"
Vestin: "Why would I tell you that? I'll lose money dealing with you and free time. But you won't kill me."
Rosh: "Because you can't stand not being top dog. Admit it, you'll never dethrone this guy. The only chance of that is we bring him down."
Vestin: "Maybe, but then I'm out of this profession and my only good way of money for good. No deal."
Holku: "I'm running out of ideas Rosh."
Rosh sighs, "So am I."
Lika: "But there is one thing you care about. Your little girl."
Vestin: "How did you know that?"
Lika: "We raided your personal files. Does she even know what you do for a living? You may not be the guardian, but we will be sure to share every detail about what you do to her if you don't confess."
Vestin: "Leave her out of this. This is my own personal choice, she does not deserve to suffer."
Lika: "Then help us."
Vestin: "I will not bend."
Lika: "Interesting, that's why I decided to bring her here myself."
Vestin's voice cracks, "What, nooo!!" Vestin hears her voice. Lika opens a door and reveals his daughter on the other side.
Girl: "Daddy."
Vestin breaks down in tears. Vestin: "Kalora I'm sorry."
Rosh: "Time to fess up, or we'll make it worse."