The roads here were packed dirt, old and full to the brim. Walking through them was no challenge though, as people had learned to move around like they would in any large city. Bare feet trod carefully across the winding paths, weaving between buildings like streams through a forest. Rather than going down like water though, I was heading up, always upwards to the top.

I'd forgotten so much about Atal that came roaring back to me in this short walk. All around people were shouting about their wares or goods, places to stay, services for this or that. Then there were the smells, heavens the smells. Atal always had a slightly fishy smell, being on the coast as it was, but here, in... actually I didn't know the name of this city, not that it mattered, but it smelled of cooked food and elven waste.

One sound I realized I was missing though was that of a smithy. I may have been running both the biggest and best one in our home city, but there were others. That was respectable, the desire to build and improve was something I'd always get behind, and I'd even shared some basic details with those back home; not too much though, I was eager to see what they might come up with on their own.

Things got less crowded as I climbed higher though, the homes slightly bigger if no further apart. The people had more decorations and complex clothing, though made from the local skins rather than shells and beads that would have shown wealth in Atal. It was all a reminder of how things were so different.

Nora's home was easy to find once I got near. It had its own wall, smaller than some I'd seen, but impressive, with buildings and I suspected gardens behind it. At a few places along the top and at the gates were men in armor. That seemed odd, her companions hadn't worn that out in the field, but each of these had breastplates made of thick hide, hardened somehow. On one arm each soldier held a spear, tipped with some kind of bone, or spine protrusion, a slight sheen indicating possible poison, on the other was a shield, crafted from turtle shell, but looking quite durable.

“Good afternoon,” I began, approaching one of them slightly.

“Hello...” he said, looking at me awkwardly, apparently that wasn't a saying in these parts.

“I'm a messenger, here with one for Nora,” I explained with a slight smile.

“Oh, I see, one moment.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The soldier I was speaking to disappeared into the gate, such as it was, and I was made to wait. Waiting seemed to be a thing I was doing entirely too much with these people. Eventually though he appeared with a smallish woman following along, she was no elder, and no magic user, I could tell that from a single look.

“Please come with me esteemed messenger,” she offered cheerily.

After getting my name and where I was from I was left in a waiting room. Hour after hour I waited, tapping my fingers on the little raised stone table, until eventually my guide returned.

“Ah, my apologies, it seems her schedule was full today, could you perhaps come back tomorrow?” she asked sweetly.

“Certainly,” I answered with a forced smile.

Two more days passed without a change. I came in the morning, was taken to the same room, and sat there until sundown neared. Sure, it seemed like a massive waste of time, and it was, but that didn't mean that nothing was getting done. Petty power plays were something I was used to, and I'd already developed a way to sort them out.

As I returned the evening of the third day I looked at my companions. “So, what does this city want?”

“Places to stay, they're desperate for housing,” Isha answered. “Food too, but that would be hard to improve I think.”

“Weapons,” Chien said with a frown, knowing well how I felt about distributing those to anyone or everyone. “Boats too, I've had a number of inquiries about ours, but it looks like others are intercepting them with the information on that.”

“Not surprising, we've shared that information already, not like we can control it now,” I mused.

“So what do we offer?” Isha asked.

“Something they need, tomorrow we'll begin, do we have the funds?” I asked.

“For what?” Chien inquired.

“All of the ashes in the city.”

“We could...” Isha answered, still in charge of our finances. “What are you thinking?”

“Cement, best thing for fortifications they can get, and expands their space regardless. Not something they can turn down once they realize it. We'll also need the rights to a spit of the water.”

I spent most of the rest of the evening making gems, nothing fancy, just a few of the different types that I'd learned to make over the years. These would serve as our currency, and we'd have to act fast, beating out inflation that was sure to come.

As the sun crested the next morning I changed up my schedule, seeking out other administrators while Chien and Isha went about getting the ingredients we needed for what was on the way. They were more than happy to part with a little spit of swampy ground for the bounty I offered them, a bounty that would be nigh on worthless by sunset. I even managed to get a rental on a little open are we could work in in the city, quite generous.

Chien arrived with materials all day, as did Isha and both began helping me work. The former had worked with me on this before, so there was little need for speaking as be started to cast block after block of the liquid stone.

An hour or two before sundown I broke with my labors and went to sit in Nora's palace. She seemed content to let me wait, so I would be doing the same. As her assistant approached when evening came to give me the same answer as always I changed things up.

“Actually, and I have no desire to offend, something personal has come up. Would it be possible to return in a few days instead?” I asked.

“Um...” the girl answered, clearly not expecting that request. “That should be fine, yes, though it will move you back to the end of the line again...”

“Oh that's alright, I'm not in any hurry at all.” I grinned evilly and saw her blanch.

Good, good, worry, I'd be giving you something to be concerned about soon enough.