[Opening Scene — Marketplace of Thessalon, Greece]
(The sun hangs low over the city of Thessalon, gilding cobblestone streets in warm orange light. Stalls line the marketplace, selling everything from shimmering Celestial Matter-infused herbs to intricate Earthly Matter trinkets. Merchants shout, children dodge carts, and stray animals squabble over scraps. Amid the chaos, one figure strides confidently: Knowledge Daedalion. His black hair glints in the sunlight, his cloak flowing behind him, and in his hands, he carries a large, unwieldy body bag.)
Knowledge (muttering to himself):
"Note to self: body bags should not smell like three days of Rotwine stew and half-digested wyvern meat. Seriously, grandfather… must you always tinker with these things without consulting the user?"
(People scatter as he passes, wrinkling noses. A merchant shouts.)
Merchant:
"Hey! Watch where you're—oh… gods, what is that?!"
Knowledge (gritting his teeth):
"A small inconvenience, nothing more. Please move."
(He navigates the narrow streets with surprising agility, dodging carts, leaping over barrels, and narrowly avoiding a child chasing a rolling hoop. His eagle, Aetherion, circles above, eyeing the crowd, occasionally screeching at vendors blocking his path.)
Knowledge (to Aetherion, under his breath):
"Keep it together, Aetherion. This is just another day at the office. Another… gloriously smelly day at the office."
(Around the corner looms the Bounty Office of Thessalon, a sturdy stone building with gold inlays and a faded sign reading: "Bounties Paid — So You Can Keep Surviving, Mortal." Knowledge halts, placing the body bag down with a grunt.)
Knowledge:
"Ah… home sweet bureaucratic hell."
---
[Scene 1 — Inside the Bounty Office]
(The interior smells faintly of incense, paper, and now something much worse. Officer Perikles, a portly man with a permanent scowl and a nose that clearly regrets its existence, sits behind a desk stacked high with parchment. He adjusts his spectacles as Knowledge enters, dragging the body bag behind him.)
Officer Perikles:
"Good… gods, what is that smell?! Did a corpse just enroll in our bounty office as a new clerk?"
Knowledge (cheerfully, ignoring the stench):
"Morning, Officer. Brought in my latest capture. Top of the list for maximum stink and minimal conversation."
Officer Perikles (coughing, waving a hand in front of his face):
"By the divine… Are you trying to kill me with olfactory warfare? Stand back! Stand—oh, you've already dragged it in?!"
Knowledge (nodding, casual):
"Efficiency, Officer. Efficiency is the mother of profit—and apparently death."
Officer Perikles (pinching the bridge of his nose):
"Do I pay you for this or… burn the entire office and call it even?"
Knowledge (grinning):
"I prefer the first option."
(He drops the body bag onto a worn scale. The stench wafts upward like a low fog. Perikles gaggingly lifts a contract from the desk.)
Officer Perikles:
"Name? Occupation? Reason for death? Cause of smell? Please… all details… in triplicate?"
Knowledge:
"Knowledge Daedalion, bounty hunter. Reason for death: refused to stop being criminally annoying. Cause of smell… well, that's obvious."
Officer Perikles (sputtering):
"Obvious?! That is not a scientific term! It is… a crime against scent!"
Knowledge (leaning on the desk, smirking):
"Officer, I assure you, my captures redefine olfactory experiences."
Officer Perikles (rolling eyes, muttering):
"Redefine, my foot… Fine. Let's get this over with."
(He scribbles calculations, occasionally recoiling from the smell.)
Officer Perikles (grimacing, handing over coins):
"Two thousand drachmas, plus hazard pay for the office… and a prayer. Here. Take it, and please take your smelly friend outside."
Knowledge (saluting with a grin):
"Much appreciated. A pleasure doing business, as always."
(He hoists the body bag back onto his shoulder. Aetherion lands on his arm, flapping wings as if signaling approval.)
Knowledge (to Aetherion):
"You see, Aetherion? Rewards for hard work. Even if that work smells like… everything that crawls and dies in the world."
Aetherion:
"Screeech!"
Knowledge (chuckling, stepping outside):
"Exactly. I know you agree."
---
[Scene 2 — Through Thessalon Streets]
(Knowledge strolls down the crowded streets, coins jingling in his pocket. Merchants eye him suspiciously, wary of the lingering smell. Children point and giggle. One child runs up, tugging on his cloak.)
Child:
"Mister! Mister! Did you kill that thing?"
Knowledge (kneeling to child's level):
"Indeed, little one. But worry not. Its misdeeds shall trouble no one again."
Child:
"Can I touch it?"
Knowledge (smirking):
"Touch? Only if you enjoy fainting on the spot. I suggest you admire from afar."
(The child squeals, scampering off. Knowledge straightens, noticing a stall selling small gadgets pulsing with Earthly Matter.)
Knowledge (to himself):
"Hmm… might be time to upgrade my quiver. If I'm going to keep hunting these pests, I might as well do it in style."
(He approaches the merchant.)
Knowledge:
"Good evening. I see you've got Matter-infused arrowheads? The precision ones?"
Merchant:
"Yes! Very rare, very expensive. Only a master can wield them without self-harm."
Knowledge (grinning, revealing a few coins):
"I am that master… and also the reason your last shipment of wyvern poison is now legendary."
Merchant (narrowing eyes):
"Legendary? Or infamous?"
Knowledge:
"Potato, po-tah-to."
(Aetherion screeches, startling the merchant, who flinches.)
Merchant:
"Fine, fine! Take them. But… maybe don't carry another body bag next time, hmm?"
Knowledge (laughing, slinging the bag over his back):
"No promises. Deadlines wait for no man."
---
[Scene 3 — A Comedic Stop at the Tavern]
(Knowledge decides to stop at the Golden Griffin Tavern, known for its cheap ale and lack of judgment. As he enters, everyone recoils.)
Tavern Owner (gagging):
"By the gods… you smell worse than a Fenrir den!"
Knowledge (cheerfully):
"Morning! Don't mind me, just passing through with… business matters."
Tavern Owner (mutters):
"Business matters… or a crime scene?"
Knowledge (grinning):
"Both, in a sense."
(He sets the body bag outside the door and orders an ale. The tavern owner hesitates, then pours, muttering prayers over the mug.)
Knowledge (raising his glass to the eagle perched on his shoulder):
"To another day of doing what must be done, my friend."
Aetherion:
"Screech!"
Knowledge (smirking):
"Exactly. Cheers to that."
---
[Scene 4 — Reflections Between Assignments]
(After a brief rest, Knowledge walks toward the outskirts of the city, thinking aloud.)
Knowledge (muttering):
"I wonder… how many more of these 'criminally smelly' humans are out there? Father always said… never underestimate the desperation of a man who refuses to follow the law. He might be dead, but the lesson lives on."
(He kneels by a fountain, cleaning his hands. Aetherion dips its claws into the water, shaking droplets across Knowledge's face.)
Knowledge (wiping water from his eyes):
"Thanks. Very helpful, bird. Very… helpful indeed."
(He looks up at the horizon, the sun reflecting off distant mountains.)
Knowledge:
"The Harbingers won't wait forever. One day… one day, I'll be ready for them. But for now… let's just handle this one bounty at a time."
(A shadow moves along the rooftops, unnoticed. A small gang of minor criminals watches him, whispering among themselves.)
Gang Leader (whispering):
*"That's him… Knowledge Daedalion. Worth a lot. If we strike now, maybe…"
Knowledge (from below, smiling faintly):
"…Not today, boys."
(He vanishes into an alley, leaving the gang staring at empty space. Aetherion swoops low, carrying an arrowhead in its claws.)
Knowledge (to himself, tying a new quiver):
"Better aim, better tools… better everything. That's how you survive… and get one step closer to finishing what was started long ago."
---
[Scene 5 — Closing Scene: A Glimpse of a Greater World]
(The camera pans up from Thessalon, showing sprawling cities bathed in twilight, mountains beyond glowing faintly with Supernatural Matter. Strange figures move in the shadows, beasts slinking along streets, and a distant fortress looms on the horizon — a reminder that the Harbingers' reach is never far.)
Knowledge (voice-over, quiet but firm):
"I am only a hunter. Only a boy with a bow and a dagger. But I am the last ember of a fire that gods tried to snuff out. One day, every last Harbinger will remember the name… Knowledge Daedalion."
(Aetherion screeches from the sky, circling above him as if acknowledging the vow. Knowledge shoulders his quiver, and with silent steps, disappears into the bustling city — another day, another bounty, another step closer to destiny.)