Boren’s argument and explanation proved something he had known all his life; children were the most resourceful creatures in the world. “I am sorry, Boren, my life would not be worth living. How about this, I will bring you back a souvenir, something from the city. How about that?” Aarav relented. He had a few coins from Haemish but wasn’t sure how far that would stretch. He would make it work.
With no idea of the economy of this place, he didn’t know what things cost. A loaf of bread or a good meal at an inn was a great starting point. Maybe he would do that with his first taste of freedom. That really was a great sounding word. Freedom!
His spirits were dampened by the boy in front of him. Boren sighed and nodded his head slowly, defeated. There was nothing more he could do. “We’ll get permission from your mother another day and go together, okay? I promise to take you, but in the right way.” Boren’s eyes shone with a smidge of hope, but it was small and fleeting. He knew just as well as Aarav did that he would never be able to go by himself. There would be the retinue to consider.
Aarav left the miserable boy behind feeling like a total arse. He didn’t know what else he could do. He knew he had made the right decision of leaving the boy behind. But then why do I feel like the most horrible person alive? Aarav tried to shake it off, but the feeling lingered. He knew it would last for a while.
He nodded to the two guards before approaching the gates and then stepped through. He had half expected to be stopped, but they clearly knew who he was and had not been given instructions to stop him. As he suspected, the outside of the gates was quite well done, not overly gaudy but beautifully done in a minimalist way. Golden filigree, of course, as most of the ornamentation he had seen thus far was.
Each step after crossing that threshold was more fulfilling than the last. After only a week in that place, the air outside seemed sweeter and fresher in his mind. Even if it was in his head, he knew there was no physical difference between them.
“Brilliant! This is so awesome!” A part of Aarav thought he would be stuck in there forever. This was exciting on so many levels. He couldn’t imagine how the boy would have felt if he had joined him. That dampened his spirit a little, but luckily, he quickly forgot about it as he walked further into the city.
He thought the place looked impressive from above, sprawled as it was, but being in it was much better than he could have imagined. From the vendors crying their wares, vegetable sellers displayed succulent items he had never seen before. Items of clothing were shown, and everyone had a smile on their faces. Children ran in the streets with no vehicles to hinder their path. People laughed and joked with the person next door. The atmosphere of camaraderie, friendship, and happiness just seemed prevalent everywhere Aarav looked. His body language radar said the same as well.
That wasn’t to say that there weren’t blips here and there. Competitive vendors gave each other the evil eye or a disgruntled customer. Still, generally, people were polite, well-mannered and friendly. Even when complaining, they did it with eloquence. It was the most opposite Aarav could think of from any place he had ever been. He had made his life in the bowels of human society on Earth, and it seemed this was the peak by contrast.
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“Hello there, sir! Fairy, sir!?” It took a moment for Aarav to realise he was the vendor addressed. Fairy, huh? I guess I can be pretty convincing! Suck it, Haemish! He turned and nodded at the man whose smile turned into something he would expect from a salesman in the old world. It seemed salesmen were also universally similar. “What can I interest you in, sir?” This man was standing in the doorway of a fresh fruit and vegetable shop. All the fruit was ripe, and just like the people’s skin, it was all without blemishes and coloured perfectly. Aarav wondered if there was a Farming Skill or, better yet, a Farming Class. “We have ricelons, limecados, bettergourds, and many other choices.” Then he came closer and whispered conspiratorially into Aarav's ear. He had to bend down very far to do it, but he managed. “We even have – ” he paused for dramatic effect. Just get on with it, Aarav thought, even though he couldn’t fully contain his excitement at learning something exceptional. “ – medley fruit!” The man pulled back to examine what was sure to be a look of appreciation and excitement.
Instead, he had to settle for confusion and slightly disappointed disinterest, followed by: “What is a medley fruit?” Aarav was familiar with the word medley, a mix of different fruit. It was usually a drink, though, not a fruit. Then he added, so as not to seem like a total noob, “A mix of fruits together?” The vendor looked at him strangely.
“You know what the concept is, but you have missed the whole point.” It was Aarav’s turn to frown. “Yes, you are right. The medley fruit is indeed something that tastes like many different fruits combined. It also has the properties of many different fruits combined. It is tough to grow and requires an advanced Farming Class and Farming Skills! It is a one-stop-shop for your nutritional needs. And the best part! Every batch is different!” The man was working himself up and now, and people around him were turning to listen. I guess the secret is out now.
“Oi! You said you were out of stock of medley fruits!”
“Yeah, I want some too!”
“Me too! Last time you ran out really fast, and I couldn’t get one!”
Woah! Aarav was really surprised by how much in demand they were. It would probably be wiser to wait until he knew more about them. Even a guard from the gate had started clamouring for one. Once he got closer and heard what the ruckus what about. I really should try to get a hand on one of those.
For some reason, though, the merchant was frowning. Why would he do that? “Okay, I’ll take one! How much?” Aarav asked, knowing he was likely to get fleeced. He had no idea how much he had in his pocket, but hopefully, there would be something worthwhile there.
“Three Frystals!” The merchant yelled. It was hard to be heard otherwise. Aarav had no idea what it meant but pulled out a coin from his pocket. He nearly dropped it in all the jostling that he started, but slime stickiness covered for him. A quick glance before the man got it to disappear showed that it was a golden coloured coin. Then he gave Aarav two smaller ones back. The new coins looked made from the same material. “Thank you!” The man had a massive grin on his face. Aarav saw him quickly turn to other people in the crowd who looked at the merchant with wide eyes and surprise on their faces. Then at Aarav, as he pocketed the coins, he got in return.
Yeah, I have totally been had. I am going to have to speak to that man again later. The slimy salesman types truly transcended universes as well. Haemish could sort him out later. Meanwhile, Aarav had a prize to eat! He would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the taste.
It was about ten seconds in the maelstrom of bodies before he broke free with the succulent in his hand. It didn’t help that everyone else towered over his two feet of height. Luckily he didn’t get trampled. Once he was out, it was relatively straightforward, and he could see through the press of bodies that the man was selling the rest of the fruits for silver and even copper coins. Wow, how much did I overpay for this? No wonder the vendor was disappointed. He would have made much more selling all of them to me. Then again, if he had tried, I wouldn’t have bought in such a rush. I guess I gave him 5 Frystals and got two back. Whatever those were, currency, obviously, but Aarav really didn’t have a clue beyond that. He was going to have to explain things to Haemish.
Thinking he was far enough from the crowd and further along the main thoroughfare, he took a bit of the juicy fruit. For a second, Aarav didn’t know what had happened. It was like his brain temporarily shut down and restarted. The taste and texture of the food were like ambrosia as the flavours came together into heavenly bliss. He had never tasted anything this good, let alone raw fruit.