Chapter Three - Ashfall Ashfall

“I’m terribly sorry sorry sorry,” Cinder said with a twirl of her parasol.

I dismissed the apology with a wave of my now not-so-bony hand. “Nonsense. It wasn't your fault, and I hardly had a problem with dealing with this. It was rather cathartic, in fact. Besides, a bureaucrat's life is made of two simple tasks: inflicting torment and enduring it.”

Cinder and I watched as the line of carriages and carts blocking the gateway into the city crawled forwards. Finally, my own carriage was able to slip through a gap and pushed out onto the cobbled road. Alex was grinning wide atop it, hands on the reigns where the undead horses--currently illusioned to seem like they still had some life left in them, even if their smell and demeanour left much to be desired as far as illusions went--pulled the carriage along dutifully.

I raised a hand up, and the carriage rolled to a stop by the side of the road.

A small crowd of citizens eyed us curiously, particularly Cinder, who had attracted quite the following in her time outside. I supposed she would be recognisable, even outside of her sect. She was the inheritor to her clan, a powerful cultivator, and a shapely woman, or so her robes hinted at.

“You’re quite the celebrity here, it seems,” I said as I looked about. The interior of Shitake city was rather constrictive. Homes were built in close proximity to each other, and often went tall rather than wide. Having most of the buildings being three stories and more meant that the sun’s light was quite dim.

The space just beyond the gateway into the city was a little more spacious, with enough room for carts and carriages to turn around, and for sticky-beaks to hang out and stare.

The people of Shitake were an interesting bunch. Masks seemed to be in fashion at the moment, often with floral patterns and dyed bright colours. It made for an interesting splash of brightness when people otherwise only wore drab browns and greys and plain, undyed clothes.

Hats were common as well. These were similar to the sort of flat, conical hat that I’d seen some farmers wearing out in their fields, but smaller. Their brims were no wider than the wearer’s shoulders, and the hats tended to be a bit rounder and fatter.

All in all, it gave the impression that these people had large mushroom caps on their heads, and at the moment, there had to be half a hundred people hanging out along the roadside, looking at Cinder and keeping to themselves.

“Our sect is popular here, yes,” Cinder said. “We... save the people here from a lot of trouble. The mantises are the biggest threat to those who remain within Shitake, but beyond its walls, this area is one of the most dangerous in the empire.”

“Oh?” I asked. “I’m presuming it’s not merely because of environmental reasons?”

She shook her head, then shifted her grip on her parasol. “The ash is an issue, of course. It clogs the lungs. The unprepared will find themselves coughing and choking on their breath. And it’s usually permanent. More than one young, overconfident fool has come to the Ashen Forest and dismissed the warnings about the air here. They pay for it for the rest of their lives with hacking breaths and a persistent cough. But those who live here know how to live with the ash. It’s what lurks beneath that’s a bigger threat.” Cinder gestured to the carriage, indicating for me to climb aboard first.

I nodded in acknowledgement, then climbed in. I heard Cinder speaking with Alex for a moment, giving my maid some directions through the city, then she closed her parasol, tapped it on the ground to dislodge a fine layer of dust, and climbed in herself.

“You were saying, about other threats?” I asked.

“The Ashen Forest is a place of poisons and ash, but there are monsters that thrive in it. The ash is rich in chi. Someone with the right skills can use it to improve their cultivation. Some monsters learn how to do the same, and become exceptionally powerful in the process.”

“Like those tasty snails!” Mem said.

I glanced at the mantis. She seemed oddly enthused about these snails. “Care to elaborate?”

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“They’re snails, and they’re tasty,” Mem said. “Mem doesn’t mind eating them, because they are mean, and not soft and gentle and pretty like dogs and kittens are. They are also tasty.”

“The ash snails are a good example, yes. They grow to the size of a man’s head and can lay in ambush for days beneath the ash. Their shells are unbreakable to a non-cultivator, and they are known to eat their prey alive,” Cinder said.

“Does one need to be sluggish in order to fall for their ambush?” I asked.

Cinder shook her head. “No, they’re quite slow, but often they’ll only move at night, and very slowly. It’s surprising how close to you they can come without you noticing them. They will spend the night moving in on unsuspecting travellers, break into their tents, then strip their flesh off while companions and family can do nothing but watch as the ash snail shell-ebrates its victory.”

“I imagine that must leave the locals quite shellshocked,” I said. “I’d say that it’s one shell of a way to go, hohoh!”

Cinder nodded, the corners of her eyes creasing up in a smile. “Yes. But in all seriousness, they’re only one of many threats you can find in the region. They do have a use. Their shells can be ground down to create a very valuable red dye.” She ran a hand over her flowing dress, highlighting the red patterns woven into the silk.

I nodded along. I was aware that snail shells could be used in creating dyes. “What about alchemical reagents?” I asked.

“The snails are poisonous,” she said. “Not venomous, however. You can extract the poison from their flesh, but of all the poisons we use in the Ashen Forest sect, ash snail poison is one of the weakest.”

“Interesting. Are there other creatures and monsters to be cautious of?”

“Many many many,” Cinder said. “The grey flamingos are a nuisance more than anything, but their beaks are venomous. There are several species of large lizards that will come down from the west. There are smaller lizards that are native to the area. Vampire iguana are a threat that even a more experienced cultivator will want to avoid.”

I nodded along. It sounded as though the Ashen Forest sect eked out a living in an area that was far less hospitable than I’d originally thought it was. It was impressive that they’d survived, and more impressive that they’d thrived.

I looked out of the carriage’s windows as we rode along. The houses were built close together, with great overlapping rooftops that left only a narrow band of sky visible above. The walls were mostly painted white, reflecting some of that light down onto the streets where I saw a number of people sweeping away small mounds of ash.

I imagined that with the near constant ashfall, being a street sweeper was probably a full-time job for some of the citizens of Shitake city.

“The ash is collected,” Cinder said, and I glanced her way. “Sorry sorry sorry. You have... eyes, now, and I was able to follow your gaze. The street sweeper. They collect the ash and resell it to the mushroom farms.”

“Are there many farms like those?”

“Plenty,” Cinder said with a casual shrug. “Enough to feed the city. Though we import a lot of food from elsewhere, of course. No one wants to eat nothing but mushrooms day in and day out.”

“Yes, a proper diet needs mushroom for variety,” I agreed.

Cinder chuckled in a rather unlady-like way. “Exactly, yes. We buy a lot of butter. We can’t keep cattle here, and can only grow plants that enjoy dimly lit places. Mushrooms fit the bill. Some of the farms have dozens of floors, each basically no larger than a crawlspace, with thousands of racks for mushrooms to grow in. The ash is used as a potent fertiliser.”

The carriage rumbled along the cobbled streets, and I continued to take in our surroundings. Despite the ash and grey slides, the city held a certain vibrancy. It was alive, and the people living here were determined to stay that way despite all odds.

“Our sect helps the city,” Cinder began. “And in return, the city helps us. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and one which will never last. We’re failing, bit by bit. Soon, all of this will be joining the ash.” She looked at me. “We need your help.”

***