An hour and a half’s way away from the small town of Welstom was the city of Appilus. It wasn’t the biggest of cities, but it was the closest one to the surrounding towns of the area, including Speels and Welstom. The city’s population was 8,000 most of the year, though usually raised to 12,000 in the winter. This was because folks from nearby towns would emigrate in droves due to the weather, ending up in Appilus for the winter season. There were not a lot of methods for keeping warm in small towns that did not involve exhausting the already small amounts of magic the townsfolk carried. Tuften was an outlier, and tended to keep their home-heating farm animals to themselves. They traded goods that could be farmed from the creatures, of course, but the bonfurtles themselves, the farmers kept local. As a result, Appilus acted as a safe haven for many others.
The streets were paved with endless stretches of cobblestone, with lampposts lining the edges every few meters. Hundreds of houses littered the blocks of the city, made from brick, mortar, and concrete rather than the humble log cabins of towns like Welstom. Giant sheets of metal created long capes over walkways, with mesh wire variations for changes in the climate.
There were two buildings that towered over the rest, each on opposite sides of the town. These towers oversaw the city, one legally, and one a little less so. While the west building was home to the city’s mayor, its law enforcement regiment, and various other departments dedicated to the betterment of the city’s people, the other structure housed the opposite agenda. On the other side of Appilus, the east tower was home to a gang lord, who ran several illegal programs and sent men to patrol the streets at night. The most peculiar part of the tower, however, was the Barrier that surrounded it, which anyone outside of the tower’s influence was unaware of.
The barrier was the result of a Mind Fog spell, an undetectable field that surrounded the tower. If one got within a dozen or so meters of the building’s surrounding area, their mind would quickly fog, and they would forget why they had approached in the first place. Upon leaving the barrier’s spell effect, one would also forget anything they knew about the tower before going in. Some, however, were immune to the mind fog, and entered and left the building’s vicinity freely. This, of course, was at the discretion of the gang lord. Because of the barrier’s effective power over those who approached, the building successfully remained operational without any resistance from the city.
There was one individual, however, who, despite not being a part of the gang’s organization, knew about the east tower’s barrier. They were a notable thorn in the gang lord’s side.
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None of the three companions knew what to expect when they first arrived in Appilus. They knew their first stop needed to be somewhere where they could find Azim some help, but beyond that, everything else was a mystery.
Leone was rather nervous as they first approached the entrance to the city. Something about where the group was reminded him of his troubles, but he withheld these thoughts. In fact, as far as Azim and Riva knew, he was the most excited of the three of them. After all, Riva had given him a new outfit to wear now that he was no longer disguised, albeit a little reluctantly, which he was immensely thankful for. He could tell Riva was still a bit nervous about him, given his recent engagement with Azim, so he was trying hard to make amends.
The outfit itself was a pair of black trousers and a white, low-cut undershirt. Over it was a cropped black jacket, which had actually belonged to Riva, though she mentioned she never wore it. He accepted the clothes graciously and promised to pay her back when he could. Approaching the gate, a pair of guards blocked their path. The gate in front of them was open, so the group was surprised at the guarded welcome.
“Please state your names and your reason for arrival,” one of the guards instructed. “If you are residents, please show your Appilus ID.”
Leone was the one to speak up. “We’re not residents here, just visiting,” he replied. “We’re just looking to sell fabrics.”
The men looked into the cart, noticing the roles of denim, cotton, and silk. “Any contraband in the carriage, ma’am?” the other guard asked. “We’ve been seeing a lot of it pop in the streets these past few weeks.”
“No, sir,” Riva responded curtly.
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Just then, Azim twitched and fell to his knees in the carriage. The guards noticed and became more alert. “Please, guys,” Leone continued. “My buddy needs some attention soon. His damages were put in stasis, so he’s hanging in there, but it’s gonna wear off soon. You’ve gotta’ let us find him some help.”
Sharing a glance, the two guards agreeingly stepped out of the way, allowing the textile cart to pass through. As they did, one of the guards shouted from behind them, “Try Roxelle’s. She has some of the best medicine available in the city. For decently cheap, too.”
Even though Riva thanked them for the tip, she knew going there would not help them. What she needed was not a doctor, but a metalworker. Strolling down the stone-paved roads of the city, Riva looked around in amazement. As far as she could recall, she had never been in a big city. Granted, this city wasn’t considered a “big” one, but when all one had ever known was farm towns and dirt roads, even a place as “small” as this seemed massive. Then again, she thought, there was that one time…
Riding down the cobblestone path, the group passed restaurants, housing complexes, shops, and pitstops of all shapes and sizes. People and carriages alike roamed the streets, and some even flew about in the air thanks to magic or traits of their species. City guards patrolled the roads, though there did not appear to be much to patrol for. More surprisingly, there were a noticeable amount of parlors that advertised “local fights” available. Leone wondered what kinds of displays could be found when walking into one of those.
Azim was not able to focus on the impressive scenery, however. The stasis spell was slowly starting to wear off, and he was beginning to feel the effects of the attack once again. Leone was kneeling beside him, apologizing again for having attacked him. The robot insisted that he was all right and did not need any more sympathies from the young man, but he couldn’t help it. Leone prided himself on his confidence, never regretting his choices, and always being able to stick up for himself. Though in this instance, he knew he had made a mistake. He resolved to not make another one like it any time soon.
About 10 minutes into town, Riva eventually came across a blacksmith. She stopped the cart in front of the shop and helped Azim get off, who assured her he was fine on his own. Walking into the open building, the three saw various weapons, shields, and tools hung up along each wall. The interior was dark gray, with small, red lanterns that littered the ceiling. In one corner was a large workstation equipped with tables, fire pits, piles of scrap metal, and various tools. In the other was a man sitting in a chair, polishing a blunt, rectangular blade. It looked somewhat like a sword, though it had no curved edges and a flat top. Peculiar, thought Riva.
The man himself was a Terram, a human-like species with various amounts of rock-like features, or even skin. Some had sections of their skin that looked like gravel, while some had rocky protrusions emerging from their body. Regardless of what features they had, the Terram could always be defined by their ashy gray skin, as If they had stepped freshly out of a volcano. He reminded Riva of the bonfurtles. The man before them had short, white hair and a hefty, white beard. He had gravel-like skin on the back of his hands that stretched halfway up his forearms. He wore heavy, blacksmithing pants and a thick, black apron, which revealed small rock-like extremities on his chest. “Hello!” the man cheered with a rasp in his voice. “What can this old man do for you today?”
“Good afternoon, sir,” Riva replied. “I was wondering if you could help my friend, here?”
The woman ushered the robot forward so that the man could see him face-to-face. The old terram was unsure of quite what he was looking at. In front of him stood what looked like a man in a simple long-sleeved shirt and pants, however there were a few strange features that stood out. The stranger appeared to have thick, steel boots, despite the simplicity of the rest of his clothes. Then there were his hands. They appeared metal as well, though it did not look like he was wearing anything over them, as it did with his boots. And finally, there was his face. His entire head seemed to be a similar metal, with no organic-looking features, but his face, in particular, was featureless. Except, of course, for the stranger’s eyes. Eyes that looked lit with the same fires in the old man’s own shop. Blank, ever-staring eyes that matched the glow of a strange etching in the metal man’s forehead.
“Hmmm…” the terram stared intensely. “Why don’t you come with me, son.”
Azim stepped closer and let the man take a closer look, observing the strangely patched-up wound on his upper chest and shoulder, along with everything else. “Leave him with me for a few hours, and I’ll see what I can do,” the blacksmith said, turning to Riva and Leone. “I’m not exactly sure why you brought him to me, but I bet the young man here will tell me everything I need to know.”
Riva looked over at Azim, unsure if she felt comfortable leaving the naive robot alone, even if just for an hour or two. It was almost as if Azim knew what the woman was thinking, because with a short-circuited stutter, the android assured, “I-I will be fine. Do not worry about me.”
With the encouragement of Leone, Riva and the young man left the two of them to their own vices. She knew Azim was strong, and he apparently now had a few levels of magic under his belt, with magicraft knowledge to go with them. Even if he was injured, Leone was right... he could handle himself. The robot had handled him after all. The two went off into the town to explore, hoping to get a better sense of what they were in for while they were here.
The old blacksmith put a rocky hand on Azim’s undamaged shoulder. “Well, boy, let’s take a look at you,” he said warmly. “I have a feeling there’s a bit more you’re hiding! Oh! And by the way, the name’s Reavius. Nice to meet you!”
“Hello there, mister,” Azim replied politely. “It is nice to meet you as well.”