The town they arrived in was called Castings, and it was a lush place that looked to serve as a holiday home for the richer denizens of the 73rd. Bone-white villas with pools and palm trees contrasted the red desert of the wilderness beyond.

Avakian and his companions had originally intended to travel to Marisia - the capital of the 73rd Fold - that day, but decided to stay in Castings for the night. The three Aemonsford natives were rather smitten with the town and its architecture.

Somewhat ironically, Avakian wasn't as excited as the others; almost every experience was a new one for him. He had gotten used to not being used to things.

They had booked a small hostel to sleep in, and went out to explore the town before nightfall.

The denizens of the 73rd were a friendly sort; beaming smiles pasted on their olive-green faces. They spoke Aeuropean with a rich accent and beautiful rhythm. This was a contrast to Aemonsford, where most spoke with a clipped tongue, shortening a great many words.

The vendors and salespersons in the markets adored Avakian and Chiros, who had no idea bartering culture even existed. They were less keen on Ellian, who haggled and bargained with a ruthless efficiency.

Avakian suspected it was more of a point of pride for her, simply refusing to spend money when she didn't absolutely have to.

"Was it really necessary to spend half an hour bullying that last trader?" He asked. "I'm pretty sure she would've given it to you for free at the end there."

"It's the principle that matters." She said smugly as she walked away, leaving the poor young woman slightly downcast at having been ripped off. Avakian secretly gave the trader a coin for his friend's purchase.

"Where to now? Apparently there's a place that claims to sell the best jiras in the 73rd Fold." Ellian proposed, now decked out in jewellery from her 'purchases'.

"I saw a few of those." Avakian wondered. "How can they all be the best? I don't get it."

Josef gave him a bit of side-eye, before they headed off to the best (#5) jiras place in Castings. The town had a lower degree of technology than Aemonsford, Avakian noticed. When evening came instead of automated electric lamps, they used candles and sconces to produce light.

The restaurant was open-air, beneath a massive gazebo, and it was clearly popular as nearly every table was packed with customers. Smoking narcotics clearly wasn't taboo here, at the centre of each table was a large decorated pipe designed for burning various drugs.

They were seated at a table under the sky, around a cosy table with pillows for chairs.

A teenaged boy in 73rd Fold garb came to take their order. Ellian, being the most savvy, handled their order; three meat jiras for herself, Avakian, and Josef, and three vegetarian for Chiros.

The boy almost looked like he wanted to protest the amount of food they were buying until he looked at Chiros taking up two seats. He hurried away to get the order while they talked.

"Anyone know how to use this thing?" Josef said, messing with the shisha in the centre of the table.

"You have to put stuff on the top." Avakian explained. "I saw a couple doing it when we walked over."

Their drinks arrived, a frothy, alcoholic beverage that was refreshing while mildly acidic. He wasn't worried about being drunk, his body chemistry being too inhuman to be affected by ethanol.

He had read that some creatures, closer to the centre of the Manifold, enjoyed alcohol that was brewed with Void. Unfortunately it was impossible to purchase where they were, as it was considered a controlled substance.

The only person who could benefit from the braincell-destroying effects of alcohol was Josef, who was at least partially human.

"Good stuff." He commented, slightly slurred as he refilled his mug from the pitcher.

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The same boy rejoined them with their meals. Each one was an art-form in itself, the dishes were served in a large clay chalice, above a candle to keep the heat.

He almost had doubts about Chiros' ability to eat three of them, until he looked over to see the man already half-way through his first.

The food was delicious, consisting mostly of beef cooked alongside peppers and mushrooms, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

"Dark." Ellian sighed between bites. "Even the food's better than Aemonsford, I swear someone needs to tell the restaurants back there that salt isn't an actual spice."

Josef had finally managed to get the shisha working, and was currently focusing on destroying his lungs rather than eating the meal.

"How is that even fun?" Avakian asked suspiciously. "Can I have a go?"

Josef hesitated for a moment; owing to Avakian's intellect it was almost easy to forget he looked like he was barely past puberty, and was in fact even younger. He shrugged.

"Sure."

It turned out his resistance to drinks also applied to inhalants, as he couldn't even feel the smoke at all. He picked up the pipe to try again, but he was stopped by Chiros.

"Stop smoking that, Avakian. People are looking at us like we're irresponsible parents."

He was still pouting as they walked back to their hostel.

---

Avakian woke up to the same scorching heat as the day prior. He dressed in loose clothes and packed his bags for the trip ahead. There was no train system from Castings to Marisia, so travellers bought their own vehicles, or took transport on the giant-treaded trucks that regularly travelled back and forth.

They left the hostel and walked around for a while looking for transport. None of them actually knew their way around Castings so after half an hour it seemed like they had gotten lost. Eventually the four found a group of tourists that seemed to be waiting for something, Avakian decided to ask them for directions.

"Oh we're actually getting picked up here." Said a large, red-faced man, dabbing himself with a cloth. "My wife talked to a local in a bar, and he said he knows a guy who can get us to Bello for cheap."

"Nice of him." Stated Avakian. "Don't suppose you know where the transport to Marisia is?"

"Oh I'm sure you can travel with us. We're stopping in Marisia after all." The man winked.

"That would be superb!" Avakian exclaimed. "Hear that, guys?"

Looking around his companions didn't seem as jubilated as he had expected.

"This is one hundred percent a tourist trap, Avakian. You'd have to be an idiot to fall for this." Josef whisper-shouted to him.

"I beg your pardon young man! My wife's an excellent judge of character, there will be no 'trap' I promise you!" The man puffed himself up.

"Let's do it." Ellian shrugged. "It's probably fine, and if it isn't, we can take care of ourselves."

Chiros looked sceptical, but ultimately confident in his ability to take care of the other three in the event of some kind of trap.

They waited with the tourists for half an hour, until a massive truck rolled in and parked alongside them. The driver rolled down his window.

"Ed's party? Hop in the back." The bald, olive-skinned driver directed.

They did, the man didn't seem to care in the slightest that there were four more passengers than expected. Josef was shaking his head in exasperation as they boarded.

"Not a trap, they said.." He was muttering under his breath.

The inside of the truck was spacious, and had metal benches for the occupants. It was also sweltering hot, but that was a given in the current weather conditions.

They made themselves comfortable and prepared for a long journey through the desert .

---

Around four hours later Avakian was dozing comfortably, using his bags and packed clothes as a makeshift bed. For once he was glad for his tiny stature, as it allowed him some comfort inside these cramped conditions.

The same couldn't be said for Chiros, who looked ridiculous sitting on the bench with his massive bulk.

It was as they relaxed that the truck started slowing down.

"Weird." Said one passenger. "We shouldn't be stopping for another two hours yet."

They stopped in totality, and suddenly the commuters heard a commotion from outside. A banging sounded from outside the truck, as if someone was knocking on the walls.

The twin doors of the truck opened, light straining the eyes of the passengers. In the doorframe was an unknown man, clearly not the driver. The man had black, wild hair covering most of his face and head, and the patches of skin Avakian could see were completely leaf-green. He looked an intimidating visage, especially considering the repeating rifle in his hands.

He raised the weapon skyward and fired three times, causing a cascade of screams from the passengers.

"THIS IS A HIJACKING!" The gunman screamed. "You will be taken to Marisia, where you will be held for ransom. If there is no ransom you will work for it! Any questions? No? Good."

He shut the truck door, and Avakian could hear the engine start up again.

"Not a trap was it?" Spouted Josef. "I knew Chiros was kinda dumb but I expected better from you two! I thought you were supposed to be geniuses!"

"Chill out ginger." Laughed Ellian. "It's a perspective game. You view it as being trapped."

"We are trapped! What do you view it as?" Asked Josef, exasperated.

"Free transport." She said, smugly.