Chapter 20 Shake Down
The remainder of Isaac and Lenna’s trip to Sapphirestone went by quietly and under an air of defeat and hope in equal measure. Conversations from the caravanners were muted and their moods were damp. A few times a caravanner would be heard crying at night but everyone pretended not to notice. Those close to the three that hadn’t shown up, despite the slow speed of the caravan and the note that was left at their previous campsite, would each grieve in their own way. It was a sad time for most and a soul crushing time for few while the final miles of the trip crawled by. Some were used to losses on a caravan trip but many were not. That was the difference between those that ran caravans in the frontier and those that did not. Usually bandits would leave the caravanners alive and only take their stuff so the job really wasn’t that difficult or even as dangerous as many made it out to be. The dragon event had reminded them all of the very real terrors that made their homes away from civilized towns, and the high leveled adventurers that fought them.
Luckily for all involved, the forest fell away and a sandy wetland opened up for them. The area had once been a marshland that was fed from a nearby river as it failed its final trek to the sea. Dams and troughs had ensured that most of the water from the river now made it to its destination, not before it fed the city built on the water’s edge anyway. The road was entirely made of a solid block of stone whose top sat a few inches above the rest of the ground in most places. There were hairline fractures all through it as the uneven ground beneath it threatened to tear it into pieces, for now it held firm. With the solid stone road design they would simply need one wizard capable of repairing it to come by once every few years and the road would last indefinitely. It would also be a smoother ride, which it was, and everyone that used it would be thankful for that fact.
After another few hours, they crested a small hill and were graced with a miraculous sight. Before them, in the evening sun, were a dozen glittering sapphire capped spires that overlooked a towering grey stone wall that rose to an impressive thirty feet high. Above the walls, the tops of a few buildings could be seen as their sapphire tiles glittered and sparkled in the evening orange sun. A blue like the deep ocean marked the tops of all of the buildings in the entire city that could be seen from the outside. Their backdrop was the ocean itself as the yellow and green wetlands framed the pure grey walls in a gentle embrace. The city was at least large enough to hold twenty thousand residents and if the massive sapphire castle, whose top could be seen from even out in the wetlands was anything to go by, the prosperity of the place was still on the rise. They had finally made it. They had reached Sapphirestone.
“Thank Halya and Traveler, it's finally over.” Ellie sighed. “Final Stretch!” She called out over the wagon train. Even Ellie’s bad eyesight could spot the massive stone walls and glittering blues that capped them.
“Don’t let your guard down! We are almost there!” Hugh yelled in retort from the wagon behind them.
“What kind of creatures live in these wetlands?” Isaac asked Ellie.
“Snakes, gators, spiders, mudsharks, frogs, and a buncha mostly harmless birds. Half of the plants’ll kill ya though.” Ellie replied.
“Lovely.” Isaac commented. “Snakes are decently rare in the Innerworld but all of the ones that I have heard about have been constrictor snakes.” It made sense because most of the natural creatures in the Innerworld either ate poisonous things or ate the things that ate the poisonous things so venoms were naturally less effective.
“These are a good split between constrictor and venomous.” Ellie replied.
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“How rare are dragon attacks?” Isaac asked her on an entirely different topic.
“Almost unheard of.” Ellie replied. “Dragons usually know to leave mortals alone because the metal dragons’ll use the information from the attack to hunt them down.”
“What if it’s a metallic dragon that attacks?” Isaac wondered. He knew that metallic dragons were usually seen as the ‘good’ kind of dragon but, no matter how strong the predisposition was to not be a dick, there would always be some outliers.
“Then you are fucked.” Ellie replied flatly. “No one will even try to avenge you. Someone in your group must’ve done something wrong to the wrong person.”
Isaac’s eyes narrowed. “Is there no check against the metallic dragons?” He wondered.
“The demigods, maybe?” Ellie replied. “If they even think it is worth it.”
“Isaac, if we ever come across a platinum dragon, I need you to be on your best behavior. No matter how badly your natural aversion is to it. All we would be able to do is hope that the dragon is reasonable.” Lenna told him. “Now, enough about dragons, explain the city to me. The sooner we get the lenses for my helmet, the better. I am beyond tired of not being able to see.”
Isaac did as he was told to the best of his ability while they slowly covered the last mile and a half to the city. Eventually they arrived at a set of absolutely massive iron gates. The gates were fifteen feet tall by twenty five feet wide and made of a lattice of thick iron beams. Enchantments were clearly drawn out and poured in silver all across them as a warning to anyone who would dare anger the city of Sapphirestone.
There was a quartet of guards checking people as they entered and exited. Of the two that were checking those leaving, only one of them was actually checking and collecting money from people. The other was watching over the two that were checking those entering the city. The checks were almost nonexistent as they just did a headcount, checked badges and tags, and took payment.
“Three, that’s three gold coins.” The guard that was checking the lead wagon spoke.
“I’m a caravanner with the caravanner's guild.” Ellie told him. “That’s what the brooch means.”
“I think it’s a fake. Doesn’t look like any of those I’ve seen.” The guard continued his very obvious shakedown. “And what about your two hitchhikers?” Isaac pulled his platinum tags out from under his shirt and Lenna held her wrist out towards the man while shaking her platinum tags around. The guard gulped hard and bowed his head slightly to Ellie and the duo. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I guess I was mistaken. Carry on.” He spoke and quickly moved on to the next caravan.
“A shake down and we just got here.” Isaac commented with an amused smirk. “A spineless shakedown, but a shakedown nonetheless.”
“There’s guards like that everywhere.” Ellie commented and snapped the reins to get the horses moving again.
“Even in Safeharbor?” Isaac wondered.
“Almost, everywhere.” Ellie corrected herself.
Their wagon crawled under the massive iron gate only for them to see another one behind it. “What are they planning to stop with those gates?” Isaac wondered. “Dragons fly.”
“Hydra’s don’t.” Ellie commented. “Neither do most men.” She was silent again just long enough to denote a change in topics before she spoke again: “We won’t be heading straight to the Adventurer’s Guild. We are behind schedule and there is a lot of work to do before dark. Hugh’ll stop by and tell them about what happened sometime tonight so you can get your bounty in the morning.”
Isaac nodded in understanding. “You’re going to have to stop long enough for Lenna to get out before you are rid of us.” Isaac told her.
“Actually, I can sort of see.” Lenna commented. They were just inside the wall and the sudden large amount of cover from the sun made it that Lenna could actually see where she was going, even if it was still painfully bright. “Thanks for the ride, Ellie.” She told the woman and dropped out of the back of the wagon. Lenna’s armored form clanged as her boots impacted the worn cobbled stone. Isaac gave Ellie one last nod before he vanished and appeared next to Lenna, leaving behind a quickly fading silhouette.
Isaac and Lenna moved out of the way of the next wagon in line and stood on the walkway next to the road. The road was sloped downwards enough that they could almost see the sea over the buildings at the end of the street.
“Now, where is the enchanted glassmaker?” Lenna questioned Isaac.
“I have no idea.” He replied and pulled the letter of completion they had received from Lucius. “It just says Sapphirestone Fine Glassworks.”
“I think you are going to have to ask for directions.” Lenna told him.
Isaac didn’t hesitate to take the burden of asking for help from Lenna. As much as he hated it, he knew that she hated it more. It was time to rely on the goodwill of strangers as they wandered through streets lined with tan brick buildings capped with roofs made of actual tiles of glittering blue stone.