“Is there a shortage of food?” asked Elwin, continuing down his ignorant line of questioning.

“Not on a large scale, but in a sense, yes, there is.” began Phee.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand?” puzzled a confused Elwin.

“This society is driven by its economy, much like Ellenia’s. When there’s more food available, it costs less, so fewer people starve. Conversely, when people have excess, you might see donations. But in times like this, in times of war, food must be conserved for those who can fight and those who can produce.” Explained Blue.

“Those that are ‘useless’ to their society get nothing.” Clarified Phee.

“So…I understand there’s war now, but you’re saying that there are usually people starving all across Apolaphia? If there’s not enough food, why don’t neighbouring cities and nations help? I’ve not known Ellenia to ever donate supplies or the like.”

“You could say that’s a question for your village elders.” Blue opined. It seemed that she held some distaste for the elven ruling class. “But perhaps the real reason is that there’s a cost to everything, even goodwill.”

“What do you mean?” asked Elwin.

Blue sighed. “Let’s say that there’s a famine. A drought, plague, curse, or something, in Al Dherjza. But at the same time, there’s enough food in some other place… let’s say Myzin. Even if the people of Myzin wanted to send their excess food, how would they send it?” she asked him.

“Well, if it's food, you would send it through the teleport network I suppose.” Said Elwin.

Most bulk goods in Apolaphia were sent magically from one place to another, particularly perishable goods. Smaller merchants tended to physically transport their goods via the main roads, or by ship. Teleporting fees were very costly, owing to the scarcity of magical reagents and the high demand for teleporter services.

“Okay, suppose you teleport the goods. Where are you going to get reagents to power the magic? Or the money to pay the teleporter fees. Remember, the fees are used to pay the workers their fair due.”

“For the reagents, I guess you would have to procure some yourself or buy them from another town or through the charity of a Myzinian alchemist.” He replied.

“Now you mention charity. Soon you will see the core of the issue. Let’s say that the Myzinian alchemist wants to help… but the reality is that they can’t. The alchemist also needs to put food on the table… reagents for teleportation are difficult and time-consuming to source. Unless the alchemist is already a wealthy individual, then your entire charity operation is held hostage by the wealthy few… So, who will pay?”

“The village elders or local government?” suggested Elwin.

“Perhaps.” Replied Blue. “But then does the city of Myzin really have the taxes to spare? The sad truth is, giving away funds weakens the city, making it vulnerable to any predatory neighbours, or natural disaster.”

“But then…” began Elwin, but he fell silent for a while. It seemed the only way to fix the problem was for someone to sacrifice themselves.

“You’ll figure it out,” Blue reassured him. “There is a way for everyone to have enough, but not as things are now. So long as endless ambition and domineering nature prevail in Apolaphian culture, this world will never be free of such suffering as hunger and poverty. Though, looking at the Incandestine who have surpassed this problem, one is left to wonder if the mortal world will ever see true justice...”

In a place like Sarigold, there would always be winners and losers. Most often it was a matter of circumstance, of cruel fate. Though some lucky few managed to escape their circumstances, too many were trapped in the cycle of inequity.

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

How unfair…

That was all that Elwin could think.

But they could not afford to linger on issues like this. There was a more immediate task at hand.

Making their way through the outer district and through another set of guarded gates, the three of them found themselves in Sarigold’s central district. The guards paid them no mind, likely only there to stop those they perceived to be more desperate.

The chipped and broken stones of the outer district gave way to well-worn, but well-kept pavement. Slum houses gave way to brick and sandstone. Shacks gave way to storefronts.

As the three of them made their way even closer to the centre of the city, their surroundings became all the more pretty. The flat ground gave way, and Elwin found himself walking up a slight incline towards the centre of Sarigold.

Silk banners of various colours decorated the streets, indicating which buildings were owned by the different merchant guilds of Sarigold.

Knowing how the people lived outside in the outer district and the gates just minutes away, the difference in wealth was sickening.

The sound of distant chanting, shouting, and general commotion could be heard. Some sort of protest?

But neither Blue nor Phee paid it any mind. Elwin followed suit. The sun was nearing the end of its celestial journey. The library would close in a few hours, so they had to make the most of what time was left.

Phee asked a local for directions, quickly received after passing the man a coin.

“This way.” She said, heading for the largest domed structure in the immediate vicinity.

Ordinarily, the library’s restricted section was closed to non-members, requiring special permissions to access. But, it seemed that the librarians were making an exception, taking Elwin in high esteem due to the outstanding quality of his ‘armour’. Phee would pay them after they were done with the restricted section.

Past a simple, hooked barrier of woven velvet, lifted away by the librarian, the restricted section awaited. Gold-trimmed wooden shelves housed books of varying ages in various states of wear and tear. Just like Blue had suspected, Sarigold’s collection was far beyond that which one would expect from an ordinary city of this size. She even spotted an original copy of The Princess’ Mother-in-Law, an infamous coded grimoire that read like a fiction novel, but in fact, unwittingly implanted its readers with the unsavoury knowledge of cannibalism magic. Just one of many books too dangerous to be accessed by members of the public.

Blue directed him through the endless shelves with whispers in his ear. Phee made her own way through the pristine collection.

With Blue’s marvellous capabilities as an electronic lifeform, she could scan and download the contents of the books faster than any mortal being, all Elwin had to do was flip through the pages.

“If only I had braved the outside world sooner. I would love to read all the libraries of Apolaphia one day.” Said Blue.

They turned cover after cover, opening countless books. The sun dipped in the sky and the library bells rang. It was closing time soon.

“Come on, not yet. Just a few more minutes.” Elwin said under his breath. They had nearly covered the entire restricted section.

And finally, they found something that seemed promising. A book of legends, which described three powerful sisters and their relationship with ADAM.

“This must be it!” Elwin said.

And then with an unbelievably loud BANG, an explosion blasted Elwin to the floor.

There was the sound of heavy objects thudding and splintering lumber, but the stunned elf could only experience these sensations as vibrations that rocked his whole body.

Elwin was dazed for a moment. He tried to get up in his confused state but found he could not. He was pinned beneath a loaded bookshelf that had fallen onto him. Thick books lay about in the cloud of dust that had formed.

“Phee?!” Elwin shouted, blind. His deafened ears couldn’t even hear his own panic-gripped voice. He was lucky to be armoured by Blue’s morphic body. Otherwise, the skinny elf may well have been crushed to death.

Ears ringing, Elwin staggered to his feet. Dust trailed down from the ceiling. Blue assisted Elwin, forming tendrils to clear the books off him. She supported his limbs, granting him greater strength.

Phee appeared in front of them, as Elwin pushed the bookshelf back into an upright position.

“That was nearby,” Phee advised.

Since righting the bookshelf, Elwin noticed that the entire building seemed slightly askew, or was that just Elwin’s rattled perception?

Faintly, Elwin began to notice screams and cries for help.

“There are people trapped on the upper floors, I’ll go help them. You two figure out what’s going on.” Instructed Phee.

“Based on Incandestine reports, I have triangulated the source of the explosion. It’s barely across the street. We should investigate. I think we have what we need.” Blue said.

Elwin walked over to the window. Blue was right, he could see a levelled building. Clouds of fine dust rose into the sky from the destruction.

There was another explosion, rocking the foundations of Sarigold.

Just what was going on?