The Search for Doctor Jones.

[Marcus Kobra]

     Marcus woke with a stir his body aching from having slept hunched over the table. As he groggily lifted his face, the page from the book that had been his pillow for the night, tore out. He grumbled at the piece of parchment perfectly stuck to his face. “Another long night spent out of bed.” he groaned as he slowly climbed out of the chair and headed upstairs for a shower.
 "In Mani my arse. . . be better just to put them out of their misery."
He trudged into his bedroom quietly so as not to wake his fiancée and stripped his clothes while grabbing his robe and headed for the shower. The tiles were freezing cold beneath his feet and shocked him into wakefulness. He eyed his reflection in the mirror and could read the spell inscribed across his cheek.
 "Hrmmm, definitely better if I just let ‘em die."
He tossed the robe up on a hook and reached up opening the spigot. The first chilly blast of water truly waking him up abruptly before the warmth finally came. He scrubbed quickly, pawing for his towel and robe. Clean and dry he walked back to his room for his set of armor and fresh britches. He smiled as he spotted them already laid out. Rose was awake somewhere in the house. He geared up and walked downstairs into the kitchen.

     The delightful smell of eggs and slices of ham cooking on the stove greeting his nose with a pleasant embrace. Avatar she was a great woman. Those green eyes like lanterns and that rich dark hair. He planted her a kiss on the cheek as he wrapped her up in his arms.
"Thank you love. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Ye would probably starve Hun." she giggles as she fixed his plate with a big helping of eggs and ham. Tristan ran down the stairs and clambered into the chair next to his father. Half dressed and rubbing his eyes, "Mommy, can I get my eggies please?"
"Do you know what letter eggs starts with sweetie?" she asked with a smile.
"E! Eggs starts with E mommy!!" he smiled proudly.
The lad was learning his letters well and all through the meal they chatted. All things end and Marcus had a job to do. He got up and helped clear the table then gave his son a hug.
"Come back soon ok Daddy?" Tristan asked as children do who expect all things to be so quick.
"Aye son. I'll be home before you know it!"
He smiled at his son before turning to Rose, giving her a deep passionate kiss. The back of his neck was tingling. The day’s work would not be easy. They pulled apart and out the door he went calling back to them, "Ye two be good or I'll spank yer bottoms!" He threw a wink to his fiancée before disappearing down the stairs and out the gate. Marcus unrolled the scroll his contract was on. The Doc had been seen last in Malas. But where? He loathed the idea of going to Malas. With a heavy sigh decided to start his search in the shinning city of Luna. Marcus arrived via moongate and no sooner had he stepped out than merchants flocked him selling wares from live chickens to strange liquids incased in multi colored jars. Everywhere there was a new sound or smell. The place reminded him of the guild back on Magincia and he quickly shoved his way through until a weather worn parchment caught his eye.
"You want to buy this my friend? ‘tis only twenty Lunians!"
"Lunians? Ehh? I have none of those." Said Marcus thoroughly confused.
"My friend I only sell for Lunians. Perhaps you speak to my friend Horace. He may be able to exchange your coins. Or perhaps sell you more. . ."

     The merchant quickly shooed Marcus away after pointing him across the way to another stall. The man there sat with his feet propped upon the stall and his clothing was bright and flamboyant. Purples, reds and pinks. None of it could be called style. The rings he wore on each finger where beyond huge. He even wore a massive hat which seemed many feet across with a giant plume of blue feathers. This was his man? Ugh boy this was going to be a long day. He quickly approached the man. Horace smiled wide from ear to ear, his front teeth where either missing or rotted.
"I need to exchange some coins. I need twenty Lunians."
The man scooped up Marcus' coins and quickly exchanged them for the Lunians wrapped in some parchment. Marcus then quickly went back to the previous merchant and bought up the parchment. As he handed over the coins he found that they had been wrapped in part of the Doctors journal! He rushed back over to Horace demanding to know where he could find more. Horace, with that same toothless grin. soon led him north. After some pacing Horace turned on him yet again with that same stupid grin. Marcus was getting fed up with it and seriously felt as though they may be going the wrong way. Just then at a whistle from Horace a large Crystal elemental rose up and charged Marcus with a scream like breaking glass. Thinking quickly, Marcus pulled the lunch his fiancée had packed and threw it towards Horace. To his great relief, the creature went for the distraction bowling Horace over as it went for the food. Marcus quickly made his break for the city and the moongate.

     It had been a long eventful day and Marcus quickly trudged home. After dinner that night he sat down with the bits of journal strewn in front of him. Reading over them repeatedly he swore under his breath. Rose, his beloved wife to be and mother of his child slipped into his lap, tenderly wrapping her arms about his neck.
"And what has you so troubled my love?"
Marcus blew out a breath full of frustration as he motioned towards the scraps of paper. He seemed to hardly notice his beloved's affections, a sure sign that he was troubled. Rose held on to the back of his neck lovingly while she leaned over towards the table to read the scraps.
“Hostel? Like an Inn love?"
“Yes my love, that is what they call it in Malas” he smiled with a nod.
Rose quickly get up off his lap and moved into the study and comming back with an old tattered map. "Here it is on this map. See Hanse's Hostel. It’s near the pathway to the mountains"
Marcus stared at the map. The bold black letters of the name and the bright red ink marking the hostels’ location like a beacon in the dark.
"Where’d you find this love?"
"I cleaned the study! Something you never do."
Marcus gave her a passionate kiss and wrapped her up in an embrace that took her breath away. He was back on the trail!

{OOC: Much thanks to Rose Yates for imputes and generally being my editor!}