Author’s note: Same news as before, Charlotte Tapp, the lovely illustrator for this project, has declared she is willing to take art requests for content that has to do with the NAUTILUS story. If you wish to see anything in particular, leave a comment below. This is a continuation of last week’s article, which was the 11^th installment of this story. Any comments are welcome. This is an episodic story, which means you the audience have an opportunity to influence some things. If there are any events you want to happen or prefer to avoid, do say so. This tale may just go in that direction. Now, back to the story.

Personal Log 6,289,119

After confirming that Heartsease was indeed our temporary employer, I was given the task of singlehandedly bringing her the head of Ygnuwe, the gang leader who is now in possession of the narcotics she requires to care for her patients. When inquired as to why this was necessary, she explained how the Quarantine District actually functions.

The Quarantine District is run by Heartsease as a means of providing cheap or free medical care for those who need it. However, she herself does not have direct access to the necessary supplies. Instead, she is reliant on the various gangs which exist here on the NAUTILUS to provide the things they specialize in. The unofficial agreement is that she will pry information from those they ask of her and they, in turn, supply her with medical equipment.

Truth be told, this is an unsettling means of operation. However, I do need to build up my reputation according to Vise. And seeing as he is incapacitated, I must carry out this task of hunting down Ygnuwe myself. He should be in the Greater Swiolf area. If this gets me closer to my goal, then I will not see it as a setback despite being highly irritating to go do.

This is Kyumi Del’Tari signing off.

Kyumi closes his electronic jounral and returns it to the compartment in his chestplate. He looks up and sees Vise with the giant bird he ordered from Kiot’s Place on a table in front of him. “You how that eat?”

“Magic,” Vise replies as he stares at Kyumi for some time. “Could you please go? Close the door? Shoo. I’m not going to eat in front of you.”

“You sexual act this see as?”

“The hell?!” Vise recoils in his seat. “That’s unnecessary.”

“Some species food consumption engage when reproducing.”

Vise points at the exit, “Get out of my room!”

Standing up from his seat, Kyumi leisurely walks out as Vise furiously jabs in the same direction as an indication for him to hurry up. What a peculiar individual. He doesn’t have time to ponder this, however, as he is soon distracted by a high pitched fluttering sound similar to what some arthropods make. As he rounds a corner, investigating the sound, he sees Heartsease rolling on the floor as if she is in pain. Unsure what to make of this, Kyumi stands awkwardly for about a minute before realizing that she is laughing. It is at this point he decides to leave the clinic.

As he walks out the door, he hears scampering coming toward him. Heartsease runs up to him from behind and holds out the jar he had left, along with a map. It seems she was serious about having Ygnuwe’s head. He took the items and watched as Heartsease walked back into the building, still occasionally shuddering and making the odd squeaking sound.

With everything settled, the hulking individual packs the jar into a spare compartment and analyzes the map. Having an idea of where he is, Kyumi moves in the direction of Greater Swiolf. From where he is currently, that means he has to traverse half of Lesser Swiolf first. Should not be a problem.

And this was correct. The trek was uneventful with only a few denizens eyeing him up and deciding he was not worth the hassle. This changed, however, when he was entering the Greater Swiolf district. There was a checkpoint set up between the two areas, probably to control what is and is not allowed in the various gangs’ territories. A small line is in front of him, so Kyumi patiently waits his turn. Though as he has noticed, some form of approval is required to be permitted through. Maybe Heartsease influence will let him in?

“Alright, big guy, what’s your business and who sent you? Any records of your being hired will make this a lot smoother.” One of the female guards says in a business-as-usual tone.

“Employer Heartsease of Quarantine District is. Reclamation of drugs and Ygnuwe’s head removal contracted. Records not possessed.”

The several guards present exchanged looks, unsure how to handle this situation. Each gives him a wary glance as they spread out ever so slightly. “Right,” continued the first guard, “Jokes are not appreciated right now, dude. Save it for when I’m off the clock, alright?”

“Time when is?”

“Are…are you serious?” She looks over her shoulder at some of the others and two who are busy filing papers glance between her and the armored titan. One of them motions to another guard to move somewhere, probably to help the first one should Kyumi be more problematic.

“This problem is?” he asks curiously, well aware of the movements occurring around him.

Tapping her pen and letting out a sigh, she looks at him slightly annoyed. “Look, buddy, I just work here. If I got paid to be asked to dinner or hit on, I’d be making a lot more than I am now. Just tell me why you are here so I can move on to the next person.”

Kyumi bows slightly. “Understood. Securing trading goods tasked with. No records possessed.”

“Better,” she says as she fills out a few blank spaces on a form and hands it to him. “Fill this out when you return to be allowed through. Also,” she slaps a sticker onto his right shoulder. “Don’t lose that. Now go on. Next smooth talker, come on.”

Author’s end note: Part 12 is now completed. Another show of appreciation to Charlotte Tapp and all the work she has put into this project. Again, criticism and comments are encouraged. Next week will be part 13, stay tuned!