It was yet another gorgeous afternoon in Hargeon Town. The streets were filled with beach goers and fisherman, while foodies took to the different restaurants, indulging in the fine cuisine of the sea. The sun shone its bright rays over the town, giving off a scorching heat that everyone would complain about yet go out and enjoy. Seagulls squawked complaining about the lack of food while fish flopped in the sea. The Hargeon dock was particularly beautiful today. The sunlight reflected off the sea, giving it a shimmering look that pictures would not do it justice. With no cloud in the sky, different ships and boats took to the sea either for recreational activities or to transport some packages across the seas to the neighboring islands. Taking in the scenery of the dock was Shin.

The red-haired Phantom Lord mage found himself sitting atop a wooden bench that overlooked the dock before him. A gentle breeze drifted through the area, ruffling his white t-shirt and blue denim jeans. His red hair danced in the breeze for a moment before coming to a rest once more. Arms to his side, resting on the back of the bench, he scanned the area for a pirate ship he was supposed to pay a visit. He had received a bottle of wine from Raegan a few days ago and was told to deliver it to the pirate Balthazar if he wanted to do some requests that would be a little more difficult. He had been told where to find him but that was it. How he looked or what he was like was not told to him meaning his meeting with Balthazar would be an interesting one.

Tired of waiting, Shin got up from the wooden bench and grasped the bottle of win that rest beside him. He began to make his way towards the large wooden pirate ship. It was beautifully and masterfully crafted, with high quality sails to aid it through the deadly seas. It had several windows and large lacrima powered cannons. Walking closer and closer to it, Shin could only notice how small he looked when compared to a large structure such as this one. Before he could continue, he came to a sudden halt as he noticed several pirates dressed in odd gear looking at him. These pirates had several scars on their arms, legs, faces, and about anywhere else it was possible to get a scar. However, they lacked the stereotypical peg legs or hook hands. The pirates stopped whatever it was they were doing and set their gaze on Shin, watching his every move. "I've come to see Balthazar," Shin said slowly as he looked around taking in the appearance of all the men. None looked like they could be a captain except for one large man. He had a long grey beard and mustache and several scars around his eyes. He wore a blue outfit that was not matched by any of the other men. His hair was tied back by a blue bandana. Cracking his neck and stretching his back, he stood before Shin and looked down at him despite only a few inches separating them. "You've come to the right place matey. I am the one called Balthazaar!"

Looking up and meeting the man's eyes, he could tell that this was an attempt of intimidation. He was using his height advantage to stand over Shin, letting his pirate crew know that there was no one that could stand up to him. At this moment however, there were more important things at hand. "I've got a present for you," Shin said as he raised the hand with the bottle of wine forward. It was an elegant bottle with a rich red wine contained within it. With gleaming eyes, Balthazar grasped the bottle by the neck and began to examine it. He was right to think that someone would attempt to poison him, especially given his position as a top notch pirate of Hargeon. He must have had a lot of money and influence around him and money was often the result of most conflicts. "Is this from Reagan?" Balthazar asked as he used his raw muscle strength to pop the cork off the bottle. Shin replied with a nod of his head, wanting to skip all the questions and simply get along to the nitty gritty of any request he would give Shin, if any at all.

Taking in the scent of the red wine, Balthazar considered something for a moment before taking a long sip from the bottle. His pirate crew looked at him with tense eyes, their bodies ready to jump into aid their boss in case something went wrong. With a few long gulps of the wine, Balthazar let out a sigh of satisfaction before sticking the cork back into the opening. He motioned for another pirate to come by and gave him the bottle of wine while giving his some instruction as to where to put the bottle away. Wiping some of the wine away from his chin, he turned to Shin with a wide smile. It appeared he had won Balthazar's respect with the gift.

Motioning for Shin to follow, the two headed towards the pirate ship before stopping to a halt in front of the entrance to the inside. Balthazar went inside before returning with a small bag that could not be seen from a distance. "Listen mate, there's someone named Maxwell waiting outside the outskirts of the docks. He's waiting for me to deliver this package of smoke bombs. However, I am sure someone is keeping an eye on me and thus I can't leave my post here. Do this for me and I'll reward ye matey," Balthazar explained as he placed the bag in Shin's hand. Luckily for him, he had already met Maxwell and done a few off requests for the small time thug. Shin had expected for people to be keeping their eyes on Balthazar, hoping to peg him with any evidence of mischievous. Having Shin do this would mean the focus would shift to him meaning he would have to deal with any setbacks in the delivery. With a nod, Shin grasped the bag in his hands and placed it into the pocket of his jacket. It was time to pay Maxwell a visit.

Shin left the main area of the docks leaving behind the pirates and their ship. The search was now on to locate Maxwell and deliver this package and get back. Shin was not sure how this was different from any of the other requests he had partaken in. It was the same thing over and over again, involving some kind of delivery duty or locating of an item. As long as the reward was there however, there was little room to complain. Luckily for Shin, this request had a little twist in it.

Leaving the docks and stepping to the outskirts, a slight shuffling and rustling of bushes caught Shin's attention. There was little to no breeze in the area and he was almost alone except for a few other fisherman or joggers. However, the noise came from the bushes and plants behind him. Taking a few steps forward, the noise from the bushes continued. As Balthazar had mentioned, Shin was being followed by someone or something. Quickening the pace of his movement, a group of men appeared from the bushes and took to the streets. With having little to no time to look behind him, Shin accelerated his pace and shifted from walking to running. The group behind him followed suit and began running too. With somewhat of a difference between Shin and the group, Shin took a glance behind him and noticed the men chasing him were Rune Knights. Just his luck. The knights were probably keeping an eye on Balthazar and if they were to capture Shin, a member of Phantom Lord, that would not bode well. So now he had to kill two birds with one stone. He would have to deliver the package to Maxwell while outrunning the Rune Knights. His lips formed a slight grin as adrenaline began to pump through his body. This was what he enjoyed. Now this was a request had taken a turn for the better.

Continuing to run on the open streets, Shin needed to find cover to use his surroundings to lose the Rune Knights and find Maxwell all while staying on the outskirts of the docks. Using whatever information he could think of, the detail that stood out about Maxwell was that the last two meetings they had took place within an alleyway. Shin would roam through the alleys of a few buildings that outlined the dock outskirts in hopes of finding Maxwell. Taking to a few alleys, Shin traversed the land around him before noticing a man standing with a cigarette in his mouth. The man was Maxwell. Shin was sure he had lose the knights for now and came to a stop to catch his breath. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the bag of smoke bombs and gave them to Maxwell. That was all he had time for. Taking off from the alleyway, Shin returned to the open street once more and noticed the knights had split up to attempt to locate him. His best bet would be to find a crowd to blend into. His target location would be the heart of Hargeon.

Without wasting any more time, Shin began running once more and took off, blending into the crowd that was before him. He continued to take note of the several Rune Knight looking for him, some from the ground and others from the rooftops of buildings. He would need to act natural and not raise any suspicion. They had not seen his face he was sure meaning as long as he kept it hidden, he would be alright. The problem at hand now was how he would return to Balthazar and claim his reward. He would need to remain in the crowd and ensure he was not being trailed any further.

Taking a moment to pinpoint the location of each Rune Knight chasing him, Shin began to jog once more going with the flow of the crowd. Noticing an alleyway to his right, Shin took a glance around and darted off. He was sure now that he was not being followed by the Rune Knights and had lost them once he entered the crowd. They could continue to look from the rooftops but Shin would stay low and use the forestry around him as cover till he got to the docks. Stepping into the little forest before him, Shin took off to the docks with the goal of receiving his reward for this long game of cops and robbers.

He entered the docks and glanced around and sure enough, he was no longer being trailed. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he headed towards the large pirate ship that was being stocked with different sized crates. Balthazar was at the head of this stocking, yelling at his crew and giving directions as to what to do. It took another pirate to let him know that Shin had arrived. "Ey matey! You've returned with not a sight of the knights!" Exclaimed Balthazar as he raised his arms in the air. "I knew you were the right man for the job!" Without saying anything, Shin walked past the large pirate and walked over to the sea of water. He bent downwards and used his hands as a cup, scooping some water and wiping his face, removing the sweat as best he could. Lifting himself up, he fixed his hair and walked over to Balthazar, staring him in eyes. "You never told me knights would be following me?" Balthazar could only chuckle as he looked around at his crew. "You never asked who it would be," he replied. Wiping some of the water from his cheek, Shin put his hand forward awaiting his reward. Reaching into his pocket, Balthazar pulled out a sack of jewels. Grasping the sack, Shin pulled out the reward and counted it, all 50,000 jewel. As of late, this was the most he had earned out of doing a single request. Reagan was right, Balthazar paid handsomely. "Keep your eyes open mate. You're a rare shark. You'll hear more from me!" Balthazar stated as he focused back on the task he had. Nodding his head, Shin took off with the request now complete.