\u201cOkay. I\u2019m going to Pallass.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erin said it for the sixth time that morning. Lyonette looked at her. The young woman was feeding Mrsha eggs as the Gnoll grabbed for the fork, trying to feed herself<\/em> thank-you-very-much. It was morning in Erin\u2019s inn, and Erin Solstice had decided. She was going to Pallass. Today was the day.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n The determination filling Erin\u2019s chest wavered. The young woman hesitated. She paused, fork full of egg, and hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I mean, I said I would. Why? Do you think I shouldn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette gave her a long look.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I was just asking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin exhaled slowly. She looked around the table. Four people sat there, including herself. Erin, Lyonette, Mrsha, and Numbtongue. The Goblin was examining his palm, poking the red, newly-healed skin.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the hand, Numbtongue?\u201d<\/p>\n The Hobgoblin looked up. He moved to shrug, then reconsidered.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n The act of verbally replying was clearly new to him. But he\u2019d done it rather than give a taciturn shrug as he might have before. Erin gave Numbtongue an encouraging smile and then looked at his right hand. This morning, Numbtongue had come down with a nasty<\/em> sting in his palm, courtesy of Apista. Apparently, he\u2019d grabbed her and she\u2019d stung him.<\/p>\n \u201cGood, good. Well. You\u2019re going into the mountains, and you\u2019ve got your mana stone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n This time, Numbtongue did reply nonverbally with a roll of the eyes. He plucked the mana stone from his pocket and showed Erin for the eighth time that morning. She knew she deserved that, but she did worry. Numbtongue had been building his strength since emerging from the basement, and he\u2019d announced his intention to go mining in the mountains. It had something to do with the memories of the dead Goblin in his head. He wanted to find gemstones or something up there, and Erin couldn\u2019t forbid him. Well, she wanted to, but he\u2019d insisted.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat. Awesome. Just remember\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUse the magic door. It will be set to my mana stone. Adventurers in the inn I can call for help. Bring potions. Be very careful.\u201d<\/p>\n Numbtongue sighed and ticked off Erin\u2019s points on his fingers, effectively shutting her up. While he was doing it, Mrsha leaned over and forked a good portion of his eggs up with her fork. The Hobgoblin\u2019s head snapped up, and Mrsha froze. She stared at him, and he stared at her, eggy fork in hand. Then Mrsha stuffed it into her face.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha, you are incorrigible.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled at the white Gnoll. Happily, Mrsha wagged her tail and raised her hands. She drew a smile on her face to match the one already there and then did a curious thing. She made two fists of her paws and placed one on the top of the other in quick succession.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, what does that<\/em> mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette frowned. So did Erin. Mrsha had recently begun creating her own sign language, an activity that had warmed Erin\u2019s heart to no end. She\u2019d encouraged the Gnoll child and tried to learn every word Mrsha came up with. And she thought she knew them all. But this?<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha, what\u2019s that word mea\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin began to ask, but to her astonishment, the little Gnoll wasn\u2019t looking at her, but Numbtongue. The Hobgoblin was scowling at her. He clearly knew what the word meant. He replied back with an expressive glare. Erin and Lyonette stared at him, and then Lyonette cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cNumbtongue? What did Mrsha just say?\u201d<\/p>\n The Hobgoblin blinked. He stared at them and then shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cGoblin sign. Sort of. It means\u2026I\u2019m better than you. Ha ha. Ha.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Mrsha. The Gnoll gave Numbtongue a big grin. Erin\u2019s jaw dropped in astonishment. Mrsha had used a Goblin<\/em> sign? But then she saw Numbtongue\u2019s lips twitch. And Mrsha had just stolen food from him, hadn\u2019t she? She\u2019d grown so much more at ease around the Hobgoblin of late. After the battle. What a mixed blessing that was.<\/p>\n Filled with confusing thoughts, Erin ignored Lyonette exclaiming over the new words and getting Mrsha to teach it to her directly. Her thoughts drifted. Today she was going to Pallass. Yes. Because\u2026well, because she had no other reason. Anyone could have talked Erin out of it. A hole in the roof, a runaway Rock Crab, Octavia\u2019s shop lighting on fire\u2026if Erin had a reason, she wouldn\u2019t go. But there was no reason, and no one to stop her. Her inn was empty.<\/p>\n Oh, not completely empty. The Horns and Halfseekers would be downstairs in a bit, and some other adventuring teams, most notably the Silver Swords and Griffon Hunt, would be along shortly. They were bringing the magic door north, and the Silver Swords were talking about finding a new adventure every day. But besides them and a few other teams, no one came to Erin\u2019s inn. Especially not her friends.<\/p>\n She hadn\u2019t gone back to Liscor after her dramatic day with Numbtongue. Erin hadn\u2019t really felt up to it, and none of her old regulars were coming in. Selys, Olesm, Ilvriss\u2026even the Antinium were staying away. Well, the Antinium were probably busy doing Antinium things. But the others?<\/p>\n Erin had stopped blocking them from coming to her inn. But she still didn\u2019t know if she wanted to see them. Some of them, like Selys, Erin was only too glad to see. Krshia was part of that list, but Olesm? Relc?<\/p>\n Relc. Erin closed her eyes. She\u2019d heard about him defending Embria and killing Garen Redfang. Him aside\u2014she didn\u2019t know what to say to Olesm if she saw him on the street. She\u2019d seen him before, in the city, but she hadn\u2019t spoken a word to him. And she didn\u2019t know if, when she saw his face, if she saw Zevara now, what she\u2019d\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n So, Pallass. It felt like a year since Erin had last entered the city, and then she\u2019d only had, what, an hour or so of being led around? Ilvriss had suggested she see the Walled Cities, and so Erin had decided she would. By herself to begin with. Lyonette was managing the inn, Mrsha was a bit too excitable for Erin\u2019s tastes in a foreign city, and\u2026<\/p>\n She looked at Numbtongue. The Goblin was still flexing his hand that had been stung as he deftly snatched some bacon from Mrsha\u2019s plate with the other. The Gnoll looked up, eyes wide as the Goblin casually bit the hot bacon and gave her a challenging look. That was clearly payback for the eggs. The two stared at each other, and then both began to fight over the last of Mrsha\u2019s bacon.<\/p>\n It brought a smile to Erin\u2019s face to see. Yes, she\u2019d go alone. And if she could, she\u2019d take the others to Pallass. Although her door still had that problem where it couldn\u2019t take more than two or three people through before needing to be recharged. But maybe Erin would stay in Pallass someday. Or visit the other Walled Cities. But to do that, Erin had to visit Pallass. The city that had given Liscor little aid, that hadn\u2019t done anything. While Goblins had died\u2026<\/p>\n Lyonette didn\u2019t notice Erin turning away from the table and walking back. She was busy calling out to Apista, who was obliviously feeding on the Faerie Flowers. Erin stared at the open windows, at Liscor in the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cTime to go away for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all she said. And that was the only reason, really. Erin bade farewell to the others. Lyonette had charge of the inn, Mrsha was waving to Moore with a greasy paw as he came downstairs, and Numbtongue was stretching, preparing for his journey into the mountains. Erin stopped at the magic door and adjusted the little dial on it. The mana stones moved until the yellow stone for Pallass was fixed and shining on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cWell. Here I go. Lyonette\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust come back if you need anything. I\u2019ll be in and out. And I\u2019ll check on the Players of Celum for you. It\u2019s all sorted, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman smiled at her. Erin nodded. She looked at Numbtongue. The Hobgoblin rolled his eyes and held up the mana stone again, but he nodded to her.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrsha waved, a universal sign. Erin turned. She saw the adventurers looking up at her. Familiar faces. She saw dead Goblins sitting around a table with Numbtongue. Even now, two weeks afterwards. It wasn\u2019t something that went away. And Erin feared, she hoped, it never would. But it still hurt. Too much.<\/p>\n Ceria was opening her mouth and hesitating. But Erin didn\u2019t want to be here. So she made up her mind. She opened her mouth and spoke brightly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to Pallass for a bit! Maybe to look around. I\u2019ll see you all later!\u201d<\/p>\n And then she opened the door and stepped into Pallass, the City of Inventions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The sun shone down on Pallass. It was always sunny when Erin visited Pallass. Perhaps it was the location of the door. But the walls, tall as they were, only obstructed part of Erin\u2019s view. And while Liscor was likewise encircled by high mountains that blocked the sun, Pallass felt more open. Erin stared up at the blue and cloudy sky as she walked through the door.<\/p>\n Into another city. Onto smooth slabs of stone. Even into different air; it felt fresher, more open than Erin\u2019s inn air. The sun touched Erin\u2019s skin. She heard background noise envelop her. Hundreds of voices. She stared around the street and saw Drakes and Gnolls and even a few Humans on the street! Erin\u2019s spirits lifted. She took two steps\u2014<\/p>\n And a Drake with a spear stepped forwards and pointed it at her gut. Erin froze. The Drake was wearing a steel breastplate and leather armor underneath. On his arms was a bright yellow shield, but Erin didn\u2019t get a chance to investigate further. She backed up as the Drake [Guardsman] with the spear aimed it at her stomach. He glared at her, body tense as another Drake appeared behind Erin with a sword.<\/p>\n \u201cHuman! Don\u2019t move a muscle! Your arrival was not <\/em>cleared with Pallass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Cleared?<\/em> I just walked through here!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s hands shot up. The Drake glared at her and then looked at his companion.<\/p>\n \u201cSome kind of mistake with that teleporting door?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. Hell of a mistake, though. Think we should frisk and send to lockup or check with the inn?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin heard the Drake behind her growl. She saw several Drakes on the street turn to stare at her. The Drake with the spear hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s call it in. First we make a report and then\u2014hey, I said hands up!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin had lowered her hands. She glared at the Drake, eyed the very pointy spear, and then slapped it. Or tried to. The spear barely budged as Erin tried to knock it away from her stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cStop pointing that at me. What have I done wrong? I\u2019m allowed to go to Pallass! Anyone is! That\u2019s the point of a magic door!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou weren\u2019t cleared. We have a list of allowed visitors per day, and you aren\u2019t on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s face went blank. Then she remembered. Hadn\u2019t Zevara said\u2026? She sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one uses that stupid thing. I never did. Look, I own<\/em> the magic door. That means I can go through, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at the door behind her. The two Drakes eyed her dubiously.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone could say that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone? Hello? I\u2019m the [Innkeeper]! Don\u2019t you recognize me? Erin? Erin Solstice? Okay, what about this? I had Hawk the Courier put it back just three days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo? Everyone knows that.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at the [Guardsman] with the spear. She exhaled slowly and then decided to inhale before the tip of the spear tickled her stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014well, okay. But I am <\/em>who I say I am! Anyone can tell you! In Liscor, I mean. You can open that door and ask\u2014well, okay, it\u2019s dead because someone else is using it, but in a bit it\u2019ll probably be\u2014if you want proof, get\u2026Watch Captain Venim! He knows me.\u201d<\/p>\n The two Drakes hesitated. But Erin had remembered the one name of someone she knew in Pallass. Watch Captain Venim. They exchanged a glance, and the one breathing down Erin\u2019s neck muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, we\u2019re calling this in, right? Couldn\u2019t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. I\u2019ll, uh\u2014get a Street Runner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThink it\u2019s worth the paperwork?\u201d<\/p>\n Apparently, the spear-wielding Drake didn\u2019t think it was. He hesitated, gave Erin another look\u2014she was giving him a dirty glare\u2014and then lowered his spear and legged it down the street at a brisk pace. Erin turned to face the other [Guardsman]. He had either sheathed his sword or hadn\u2019t drawn it to begin with.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have to keep raising my hands, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n He had yellow scales, which went well with the patch on his armor. He was wearing all leather and shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so. But stay where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned to look at the Drakes, some of whom were pointing at her. This wasn\u2019t how she had envisioned returning to Pallass, but, she had to admit, it was consistent with last time. She folded her arms grumpily.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if I don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be forced to draw this sword and stab you.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin eyed the sword in its sheath. She decided to stay put. She stood there with the Drake as the passersby generally lost interest. All, that was, except for a couple of Drakes, young, in their teens, who came up.<\/p>\n \u201cGuardsman, who\u2019s the Human? Did she come through from Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake [Guardsman] looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch business. Move along.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw. But she is<\/em> from Liscor, right? Are people coming through?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust me for now.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned to the Drakes. They blinked at her, looking her up and down as if she was an oddity. But Erin had<\/em> seen otherHumans on the street. Wearing armor, sure, but\u2026the [Guardsman] with the sword sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cLadies\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, alright. Spoilsport. Who\u2019re you, Miss Human?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin called after them. One of the Drakes turned. She was tall and had red and black scales running in stripes down her body.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Frasi! This is Oza! Don\u2019t get arrested, Miss Erin! Welcome to Pallass!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks! I\u2019ll try! And I\u2019ve been here before!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin waved at their backs. The Drake [Guardsman] made a grumbling sound.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease keep quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that an order?\u201d<\/p>\n She heard him sigh. But no more Drakes approached as now Erin and the Drake were just standing awkwardly by the door. Erin looked about.<\/p>\n The street was wide and flat. Unnaturally so to Erin, who was used to Liscor\u2019s cobblestones and dirt roads. But Pallass\u2019 floors were smooth, made of huge squares of stone, like those Erin would see in modern cities. The stone was a light beige, and houses and other buildings lined the open street.<\/p>\n A few things set Pallass apart from Liscor. The first were the walls. They stretched up above the roofs of the houses, four walls in four directions. They were huge and filled part of the sky, a solid mass of stone. Solid, but not plain<\/em>. Because Erin could see, far off in the distance, another \u2018floor\u2019 of buildings built into the side of Pallass. That was what she remembered.<\/p>\n Pallass was a Walled City, but it more closely resembled an inverted pyramid of sorts. It had long, flat floors that stretched around the walls. The top floors were narrowest, still wide enough to hold a massive amount of room, but the floors grew in size before reaching the bottom. Connecting each floor, which all held vast populations of shops, homes, and so on, were the stairs. Pallass had four grand stairways that ran from the bottom of the city to the top. But what was also unique were\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cThere!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pointed. The Drake, who\u2019d been leaning against the door she\u2019d come in, started. He stared suspiciously at Erin and where she pointed. She was following a small shape with her finger. He squinted at it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? The lifting platforms? Oh.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at the elevator as it carried a group of Drakes and Gnolls upwards. It stopped at a floor above her, and she watched as the people inside got out. Yes, elevators.<\/em> Pallass had them, at least, a strange magical version of them. She could see the pulleys moving as the elevator descended. Apparently, Pallass fueled their elevators not with steam or some other device, but with mana stones. It was for that reason and others that it was given its nickname.<\/p>\n The City of Invention.<\/p>\n \u201cMore like the City of Jerks. Hey, is your Watch Captain Venim here yet? I\u2019ve got places to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned and glared at the Drake. He glared back, clearly not impressed by her.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain Venim is a busy Drake. And he\u2019s one<\/em> of the Watch Captains who serves Pallass. If he\u2019s not available, then you\u2019ll have to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere he is! Over here!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin cut him off and waved at a familiar Drake making his way through the crowd. Watch Captain Venim wasn\u2019t taller than the other Drakes, and his scales were a fairly common grass green, but he wore bright yellow armor that stood out, and he had the businesslike stride that carried him through the crowd. The spear-Drake was following him.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain!\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake snapped to attention and saluted Venim, as if he hadn\u2019t been slouching against the door for the last ten minutes. Erin glared triumphantly at the Drake with the spear. She waved at Venim, who was eying her as if uncertain why she was here.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! It\u2019s Watch Captain Venim, right? It\u2019s me! Erin Solstice? You remember me, right? Can you tell these jerks I can come here?\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than reply immediately to her, Venim turned to the two Drakes.<\/p>\n \u201cAt ease, [Guardsmen]. This Human is<\/em> the proprietor of the inn in question. Give us a moment to talk, and I\u2019ll sort this out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Watch Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was slightly disappointed he didn\u2019t immediately reprimand the Drakes. Both saluted and stood back a few paces. She looked at Venim, half-relieved, half-annoyed still.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry about this. I totally forgot about the daily lists thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Venim coughed. He looked much as Erin remembered\u2014straight-backed, rather formal. Sort of like a male Zevara, in other words. She didn\u2019t know him too well, but in her mind, he was one of the \u2018good\u2019 Drakes from Pallass. Although she really only knew one other person\u2014that jerk Gnoll [Senator].<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an unfortunate mistake, Miss Solstice. We neglected to ask for the daily lists from Liscor after the door was reinstated. In truth, we\u2019d mostly overlooked it, what with travel being nonexistent between Liscor and Pallass\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the Goblin Lord\u2019s army. And the door being stolen. Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. That.\u201d<\/p>\n Venim studied his feet. Erin remembered that the fact that Pallass hadn\u2019t<\/em> sent a massive army through the door was a sore point with Liscor.<\/p>\n \u201cSo. I don\u2019t have a list, but it\u2019s my door and I thought I\u2019d come through. I can go now, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot just yet. Miss Solstice\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Miss Erin, why did you come through to Pallass? Is this a business trip? A social visit or\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm. I thought I\u2019d look around. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll stay overnight. I\u2019ll just wander about, head on back through before it gets dark. Maybe see the sights. It\u2019s a big city, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWander about?\u201d<\/p>\n Venim stared at Erin. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n She heard a strangled noise from the spear-Drake, who she\u2019d already classified as \u2018angry and uptight\u2019 in her head. He glared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just wander through that door! It\u2019s a gateway between Liscor and Pallass, not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuardsman Kel.\u201d<\/p>\n Venim raised a hand, and the Drake fell silent. Erin stared at Kel challengingly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my<\/em> door. I can go through when I want. And I can send through anyone I want. That\u2019s the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf<\/em> they\u2019re approved. You are supposed to clear a list with Watch Captain Zevara\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNext time I\u2019ll write my name on that list, happy? And I might bring over my [Barmaid]. And her, uh, adopted Gnoll kid. Is that a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n Venim stared at Erin. She stared back. She could tell he clearly wanted to snap at her, but he didn\u2019t. Instead, he took a deep breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll send a [Message] to Liscor and work out an approved list of names. For now, let\u2019s consider this an unfortunate misunderstanding. You\u2019re free to go, Miss Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled at Venim. He tried to smile back, but clearly his face wasn\u2019t in it. Erin took two steps to the side as all three Drakes watched her and then spun casually back to face Venim.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, and I might be coming through with a Goblin someday. Got a problem with that?\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain was turning to face the two Drakes, both of whom looked uneasy, as if they feared a reprimand. His head snapped back around so fast Erin heard something crick<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared innocently at Venim. Inside, her heart was pounding. So much for slipping that by him.<\/p>\n \u201cUh. A Goblin. He\u2019s a friend and an employee at my inn. And I think he\u2019d like to see Pallass, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA Goblin.\u201d<\/p>\n Venim\u2019s voice was flat and, suddenly, without patience. Erin nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. A Hobgoblin, to be exact. His name\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, a monster.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s breath caught. She looked at Venim.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I mean a Goblin. He\u2019s allowed in Liscor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The chorus came from three Drakes and a passing Gnoll woman. She looked around as all three Drakes stared at her. Venim covered his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me! Didn\u2019t mean to pry, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll hurried down the street. Venim raised a hand as if to stop her and then whirled on Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cA Goblin is not<\/em> allowed in a Drake city, Miss Solstice!\u201d<\/p>\n She folded her arms.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not? He\u2019s an adventurer, and he has a pass from Wall Lord Ilvriss, the Guildmistress of the Adventurer\u2019s Guild, several Gold-rank team leaders, and<\/em> Pisces\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Venim stepped forwards, cutting the rest of Erin\u2019s words off. He pointed at the door, meeting Erin\u2019s eyes with a contained glare.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure what Watch Captain Zevara is thinking. But let me make this clear, Miss Solstice. If a Goblin enters the city, we will kill it. That is standing Pallassian law<\/em>. Is that understood? As for entering and leaving, please fill out the correct paperwork from now on. We will begin asking for the daily lists in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin froze. Venim glared at her. She said nothing. She knew he was expecting something. After the silence dragged on too long, Venim stepped back. He still looked angry, but she caught a brief feeling of awkwardness<\/em> from him. She wasn\u2019t sure if that was her Skill or just her learning to read Drakes. It was the slight curl in the end of his tail.<\/p>\n \u201cI am pleased that Liscor stays standing. I understand you had a great deal to do with that, and for that, Pallass\u2019 City Watch offers you our thanks. But the law is the law, Miss Solstice. It must be incorruptible. Please, understand me. Your\u2026Goblin worker is free to work in your inn, but it must never step foot into Pallass. I trust you understand that. And I do apologize for the inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n So saying, he held out his claw for her to shake. Erin stared at Venim. Then she stared at his extended claw. Hand. Erin reached out slowly and then, instead of shaking his hand, poked a finger at Venim\u2019s snout. He recoiled.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah? Well, I\u2019ve got two words for you, buddy. \u2018No way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The two Drakes standing beside Venim stirred as Erin treated them all to a glare. She pointed at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t over. I\u2019ll be back. And if you ever<\/em> hurt Numbtongue\u2014that\u2019s the name of the \u2018monster\u2019 by the way\u2014I will kick your scaly butt. Have a nice day.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned and began to stomp down the street. Venim was staring at her back. She heard an exclamation from the spear Drake, Kel.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just threaten\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pushed past him, ignoring his spear. He uttered a hiss, but she was walking fast down the street. Kel, Venim, and the third Drake whose name no one had mentioned\u2014it was Nevvim\u2014stood, staring at Erin\u2019s back as she stalked away from them.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain Venim? That was clearly a threat. Do you want us to go after her and arrest her?\u201d<\/p>\n Nevvim spoke quietly. Watch Captain Venim stared at Erin\u2019s back. She was staring at a passing Dullahan. He felt a moment of heat, the famed Drakeish temper rising within him, and struggled to contain it.<\/p>\n For a second, Watch Captain Venim hesitated. And the chances of him having a good day teetered on the brink of chaos. After a moment, the Drake slowly shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave her. Pallass owes that Human some kind of debt, and Liscor too. She\u2019s not likely to cause trouble, and if she persists in this Goblin thing\u2014I\u2019ll send a [Message] to Watch Captain Zevara asking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head and turned away, banishing Erin from his immediate list of concerns. He was allowed to, and his chances of a good day skyrocketed from there. If he had arrested Erin, things might have turned out far more eventful<\/em> for him. But that was a story for another timeline. Erin Solstice walked away from the [Guards] and into Pallass.<\/p>\n \u201cLousy, no good, stupid jerks\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She stomped for about a minute, and then her feet began to hurt. Erin stopped in the street, turned to look back, and realized she was in Pallass again. Drakes and Gnolls walked past her, moving around her and giving her odd looks.<\/p>\n Noise. And sight. Erin was overwhelmed by both for a moment. It felt like she was standing in any big city, watching pedestrians go past her. Some were city-dwellers, going to work, others clearly tourists from the way they pointed and stopped to stare at things. Gnolls, Drakes, a few Garuda, and then a passing Human.<\/p>\n She was wearing armor. Erin stared at her as she passed. Strange. She\u2019d thought few Humans lived south of Liscor. Well, a Walled City had to have some Humans, surely? This woman was wearing armor. So maybe she was an adventurer? It comforted Erin to think she wasn\u2019t the only Human in the city. Then she heard a shout.<\/p>\n \u201cStreet Runner, coming through! Watch your tails!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned her head. She saw a Drake with bright white-pink scales running down the left side of the street, near to Erin. She was young, probably fifteen if she\u2019d been Human. She had a full satchel pressed against her chest, and she was running at near full-tilt. Erin saw people stepping casually aside and then realized she was in the way.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoops!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin leapt back as the Street Runner dashed past her. The Drake twisted to avoid Erin and keep her satchel from striking her.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Miss! Street Runner on delivery!\u201d<\/p>\n She was already a dozen feet away. Erin stared at her back and then looked around. She\u2019d seen Street Runners in Liscor before, but never been close to being run over by one. She wondered where the Runner was going. Then she wondered where she<\/em> was going. She hadn\u2019t come here with a plan.<\/p>\n Someone interrupted Erin\u2019s musings. A loud, flat voice called out to her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, Human. You need knives.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned. A man was standing in front of a small shop. It was more of a stall built into a building, like Krshia\u2019s stall, but permanent. He was one of the [Shopkeepers] selling his wares on the street. Only, he was Human.<\/p>\n And wearing armor. Erin blinked as she saw the man was wearing a full-body set of iron armor. She assumed it was iron; it wasn\u2019t bright enough to match her image of steel. But it had been polished quite finely. She wondered why he was wearing it though\u2014wasn\u2019t it hot? Still, she had to admit he was impressive. The man gestured to Erin. She looked around and then took a few steps closer.<\/p>\n \u201cMe? Did you say I need a knife?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin wasn\u2019t in the mood to shop, but the novelty of meeting another Human was enough to bring her over. The man nodded. He had a very dour, expressionless face. And his voice was just as flat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re looking for a sharp knife. Everyone needs knives.\u201d<\/p>\n The strange, armored man said this as if it were indisputable fact. Erin opened her mouth, thought, and had to agree that he had a point.<\/p>\n \u201cI could use a knife for my kitchen, maybe. Er\u2014are you selling them?\u201d<\/p>\n The man nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I sell knives. Sharpest, finest, crafted by Maughin himself. You could skin a Wyvern with the blades. You looking for a cooking knife? Something that can cut through tough materials? A skinning knife? All-purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, actually, I\u2019ve got a really sharp knife. Believe me, it can cut through\u2026hands\u2026really well. But I suppose I could browse\u2026what\u2019s it like living here? As a fellow Human, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin edged closer to the shop. The man gave her a very odd look.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. You\u2019re new here too? I just came to Pallass. Hi. Erin Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n The man stared at Erin. He held out his hand. It was gauntleted and unpleasant to shake, but Erin had resolved to make that her fourth question going into this conversation. He eyed Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cLorent. I\u2019ve lived here all my life. A Pallassian native.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you said\u2014er. Never mind. So, uh, knives. You sell just <\/em>knives?\u201d<\/p>\n Lorent nodded and then shrugged. He performed the nod somewhat awkwardly, while the shrug was natural.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s correct. I\u2019m a [Sharpener]. I take knives and give them an edge that will last<\/em>. Beyond what the metal is shaped for. You buy my knives, you get a lifetime guarantee\u2014bring them here and I\u2019ll give them their edge again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, I get that! And that is<\/em> a good deal!\u201d<\/p>\n Something like a smile appeared on Lorent\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. You understand. Not everyone does. But you see these knives? Watch.\u201d<\/p>\n He showed Erin a few of the knives on his shop counter. All looked wickedly sharp, and they had a little logo emblazoned on the hilt. A knife and grindstone.<\/p>\n \u201cCustom-made. And watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Lorent picked up a knife and pointed to something else on the table. A block of wood. It was anything but square; it looked like someone had cut a bunch of pieces off with a razor. It was sitting next to a basket with a pillow in it. Erin blinked at the basket, wondering if it was to hold the knives, and then jumped as Lorent took a swing at the block of wood.<\/p>\n \u201cHoly smokes!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t the swing that bothered Erin. It was the fact that Lorent\u2019s precise cut had gone through<\/em> the block of wood with a single motion. It sheared off a plate of wood a centimeter thick, which landed on the table. Erin stared at it and reached for it\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cCareful. You\u2019ll cut your fingers. The edge is sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n Lorent stopped her. Then he showed her the knife, not letting her take it, but allowing her to inspect the edge. Erin did, and saw no imperfection on the edge.<\/p>\n \u201cWow.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou see? Quality steel plus my Skills do this. And I can sell you a set or a custom-made knife. The price is high, but you\u2019ll get years of flawless cuts if you treat it right.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was tempted, but she had a billion questions.<\/p>\n \u201cI get it\u2019s super sharp, but why do I need<\/em> a knife that sharp? I\u2019ll take my own arm off! And why knives? Surely you could do that to an adventurer\u2019s sword, right?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Sharpener] frowned mildly.<\/p>\n \u201cI do that on the side. But knives are an art. Sharper is safer<\/em>, if you respect the blade. Ever had your fingers slip while cutting something like a tomato? Or a fish?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shuddered. Lorent nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cA sharp knife doesn\u2019t slip. Mine don\u2019t\u2014ever. So, about the knives. Want to see what I\u2019ve got?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026I didn\u2019t really, but you\u2019re actually starting to sell me on this. Tell you what, do you have a good kitchen knife? Let me see it and we can talk coin\u2014I could actually afford a good knife now that I think of it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Lorent nodded. The man eyed Erin\u2019s hands and raised a finger.<\/p>\n \u201cOne second. I have just the knife. I just need to get it from the back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, take your t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was smiling and waving a hand when Lorent reached up. He put both hands on the side of his head. Then he pulled his head off<\/em> his shoulders, placed it in the basket on the counter, and his body promptly turned and walked into the back of his shop.<\/p>\n The young woman froze. Her eyes bulged as they stared at Lorent\u2019s retreating torso. Then they fixed on his head. He was talking calmly, looking up at Erin from the basket.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also about contouring the handle to the grip. A good knife should fit the hand. So I\u2019ll see if the ones I have fit yours. They might not\u2014you\u2019re a Human, not a Gnoll or Drake, and your bone structure\u2019s different. But I know a [Carpenter] who can sand down the grips if need be at no extra charge to you\u2014ah, here we are. I actually had two, now that I recall. Take a look.\u201d<\/p>\n His body walked back out, carrying a pair of knives in its hands. Erin stared at the headless body as it placed the knives on the counter, picked the head back up, and placed it back on the shoulders. Loren twisted his neck back and forth and rolled his armored shoulders as if nothing had happened. He gestured to the knives.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. These aren\u2019t sharpened yet. I like to let my customers handle their knives first, see how they feel.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at the knives. She did her best, inspecting them and practicing cutting as Lorent made a few remarks. But she couldn\u2019t. She just couldn\u2019t. She tried to ask Lorent twice and then gave up. The sight of him pulling his head off like Erin would take off a hat had thrown her. She looked at Lorent helplessly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I think they\u2019re great knives. But, uh, I left my coin purse in my other pocket. I\u2019ll, uh\u2014over there!\u201d<\/p>\n She turned and fled. Lorent sighed as the Human girl escaped into the crowd. But he comforted himself as he reclaimed his knives and left his head to watch the counter while his body walked back into the shop.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll be back. They all come back. Everyone needs knives.\u201d<\/p>\n You could bet gold on that. Civilizations rose and fell, but everyone needed knives. Even damn [Mages].<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Erin made it two streets away from Lorent before her heart stopped pounding. Part of her wanted to go back, apologize, and ask the obvious, but she had to calm down first. Clearly, Lorent wasn\u2019t Human.<\/p>\n \u201cDuh. Not Human. Humans can\u2019t do that. I\u2019m pretty sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so, Erin had to feel at her neck. She\u2019d cringed<\/em> to see Lorent\u2019s neck do that! And in a basket? How did his body see? No, wait\u2014what was<\/em> he?<\/p>\n Part of Erin was even ashamed for having that reaction to begin with. But she couldn\u2019t help it. Lorent had been a new level of weird, even for Erin. Because\u2014okay, look. Most people were normal, despite their appearances, right? After you got past the looks, they were just\u2026people. Erin had gotten to know the citizens of Liscor, and, in a lot of respects, they behaved exactly like Humans with only a few quirks. She was fine with them.<\/p>\n Drakes she could handle. Gnolls were totally fine. Humans? She saw them all the time! Every time she looked in a mirror. Dwarves, half-Elves? Standard. Half-Giants? Erin didn\u2019t know about the others, but Moore was too easy to like. Drowned Men? A bit out there. Garuda were intimidating for a bit, but only because Bevussa had been so vibrant and new.<\/p>\n Selphids\u2026well, Jelaqua had thrown Erin for a loop a few times, but Erin had gotten to know her, no matter which dead face she was wearing. Jelaqua\u2019s true, hidden form still made Erin squeamish, but day-to-day, she was just a person, albeit a different-looking one every time you turned around. But that armor-dude had been the first overtly<\/em> magical being Erin had met.<\/p>\n \u201cHe pulled off his head! Like that! And there was this glowing\u2026thing inside! Is he a magical suit of armor? Or\u2026did the Headless Horseman come here a few thousand years ago and get really<\/em> busy?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin kept walking just so people wouldn\u2019t stare at her mumbling to herself. Only, now she was giving every passing armored Human the fish-eye. And she began to realize that all the people she\u2019d thought were Human were in fact the same people as Lorent.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there are Garuda and\u2026Lorent-people in the city. Did anyone ever tell me that? No? Well, they should!\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Erin had to admit that both species were minorities. Drakes and Gnolls were predominant by far, and from what Erin could tell, there were four or five Drakes to every Gnoll. Pallass was still a Drake city. Erin shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll double back and ask later. But right now, I just have to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She saw an opening in the crowd. An opening in the buildings, in fact. And that opening was in fact the end of this floor. Erin saw a guardrail, a few benches, and as she approached\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared down over the guardrail and down<\/em> into the heart of Pallass. Three hundred feet or more down, straight to the ground. The floor below her stretched out a bit before ending, and then the floor after that stretched a bit further\u2026and right at the bottom of the city was a large building that looked almost like the tip of a fountain pen. Erin guessed it was some big important building. But her eyes were drawn to the tiny specks below her, people walking about, wagons entering the ground floor\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so\u2026big.\u201d<\/p>\n She had heard that Pallass held over a million souls in its walls. And looking at the distant far wall\u2014where people were walking on the same floor as Erin\u2014she could believe it. This city was massive! It was Liscor times ten, no, even larger. She couldn\u2019t imagine any army ever taking this place. The Humans would have been lost here, and forget riding a horse around. There was nowhere to ride!<\/p>\n That was why Erin hadn\u2019t seen any animals on the upper floors. They probably couldn\u2019t get beyond the ground floor. Which meant those elevators and Street Runners and the steps were the only way to transport stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must be a nightmare to haul stones to build stuff or do\u2026anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin muttered to herself. But then she saw something else. A large elevator, cut against one wall, rising slowly. And on it were a pair of\u2026Erin squinted.<\/p>\n \u201cHorses? And<\/em> wagons?\u201d<\/p>\n The massive elevator rose and came to a stop above Erin\u2019s floor. She couldn\u2019t see what happened, but she saw the elevator slowly descend with a lot of boxes on it a minute later. She slapped her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cCargo elevators. Of course. You clever Drake jerks. But it still means not a lot of horses on the second floor. And how do they, uh, get rid of pee and stuff like that?\u201d<\/p>\n No helpful diagram of Pallass\u2019 plumbing system appeared this time, so Erin left it as an unsolved mystery. But now her interest was rekindled. She stared down at a floor below her. Part of it was shadowed from above.<\/p>\n \u201cDo they live in the shadow all day? How would you live like that?\u201d<\/p>\n And no sooner had Erin wondered than she found out. She looked about, spotted an elevator, and hurried towards it. It was filling up with Drakes as Erin approached. She paused uncertainly, but a Drake tossed her head.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, thanks!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin wasn\u2019t sure if you had to pay to ride or something. She didn\u2019t remember that on her tour. What she wouldn\u2019t give to ask more questions this time! Who had her tour guide been? Nell\u2026Nelliam? Could she ask if\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cFloor?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin jumped. The Drake who\u2019d invited her in was staring at her. She was a Drake in her mid-twenties and looked busy and not-at-all happy to be talking to the ignorant Human. The other Drakes grumbled as they stared past Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, floor? Sorry, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Drakes laughed. The female Drake, who had a very normal green scaly pattern but vibrant, almost pinkish neck spines, sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat floor do you want to go<\/em> to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEr\u2026the one right below us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSix.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Drakes chorused as one. Erin blushed, but the Drake was busy closing the little door. Then she pulled a hand-lever by her head, and the elevator went down.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhooooooaaaa\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s exclamation at the rapid descent was followed by a sudden increase in gravity that made her stumble. The elevator was slowing! The Drake had pulled another lever, and the elevator was coming to a halt. They were on the floor right below. Erin pulled herself upright and then realized the Drake was opening the door.<\/p>\n \u201cSix.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked pointedly at Erin. The young woman realized this was her stop.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, thanks! Uh, sorry about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The instant she walked out, the elevator door clicked shut and it dropped.<\/em> Really fast. Erin stared over the second guardrail and distinctly heard a voice travelling up at her from below.<\/p>\n \u201cHumans. Who goes one floor d\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n And then it was gone. Erin winced. So. Embarrassing yourself in another city? Check. But to be fair\u2026she walked away before completing the thought.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so there are people who run the elevators. And they go fast<\/em>. A lot faster than at home. I wonder if they ever go crash?<\/em> Ooh, maybe I\u2019ll use the stairs next time. But that\u2019s also so cool. If they have elevators, do they have escalators? Could they make\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin realized she was walking along the second floor, technically underneath the first one, but she could still see just fine. It was only a bit darker, that was all. She looked around and saw dozens of metal posts upon which were fixed glowing glass orbs. And inside\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cOh! [Light] spells!\u201d<\/p>\n Or something very similar. The mage lights glowed, giving off a bright, natural light so close to sunlight it had fooled Erin for a second. It was actually eerie to see; she\u2019d expected the lights to be harsh and artificial. But that wasn\u2019t how magic worked here, was it?<\/p>\n Erin stared up at the lights and then down the street. People were working here, just like above. Only, it felt like this was more of a residential district. She saw a lot of what looked like apartments reaching all the way up to the point at which the ceiling, or seventh floor, began. She wondered what it was like to live in Pallass.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the same as anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shook her head. She walked down the street, head swiveling to see anything interesting. Maybe she could find the\u2026Greeter\u2019s Guild? And ask about Nelliam? Someone could give her directions, probably. And he could answer some questions. And when Erin was tired of looking around she\u2019d\u2026<\/p>\n She\u2019d\u2026she\u2019d\u2026do what? Walk down another street? Buy a knife? Erin stopped. She looked around at a gaggle of Gnolls racing past her. They were young and playing with something on the ground. A ball made of leather. Kicking it back and forth, trying to grab it. Like kids playing soccer or, if you wanted to be mean, dogs chasing a ball. They were laughing. And maybe it was that that made Erin realize.<\/p>\n She was lost. This was another city. And Erin was still lost. She looked at the Gnolls and wondered if the Goblins would have played a game like that. She stared at the houses, at Pallass, grand and wonderful, and wondered how many soldiers it held.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you help? Why didn\u2019t you do anything? Why did they close the gates? Why did I ask them to fight? For this?\u201d<\/p>\n No monster had ever set foot in Pallass. No Goblin. Erin remembered Watch Captain Venim\u2019s face harden. She\u2019d thought he was one of the good ones. And he probably was, for a Drake.<\/p>\n Suddenly, Erin wanted to throw up. She wanted to leave, to go back to her door. But it felt far away. And Erin felt lost. <\/em>She stood in the street and heard a little voice.<\/p>\n \u201cThere. See? Mom? I told you! I saw her in the orb! She was at Liscor!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned. She saw a little Drake boy pointing at her. His scales were bright red, and he was gaping at her and pointing a claw at her chest. His mother, an older Drake with less-vibrant scales that had a more purplish hue, was tugging him down the street. She had a laden basket in one arm.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep moving, darling. Don\u2019t point. It\u2019s rude. And it\u2019s probably not the same Human.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I saw her\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes. You and your friends, watching those scrying orbs all day. You could be practicing, you know! Or earning money as a Street Runner. Hurry up, I need to get to the [Butcher] by midmorning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut mom<\/em>, <\/em>she was there! At Liscor! With the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake whined. Erin slowly filled in his words as he was tugged out of sight.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the Goblins.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked around. At a city not touched by monster attacks or fear or war. Who had no Humans in it, at least none that Erin had seen. Who knew nothing of what Goblins were. And she felt so, so lost<\/em>\u2026that it hurt.<\/p>\n It had been a mistake coming here. Erin felt lost in a sea of faces, and they had never seemed so alien to her as now. She was lost, alone. And she wanted to go home.<\/p>\n But home hurt too. Erin felt her eyes sting. She had run away from home. She couldn\u2019t bear it. Even though Numbtongue had lost more. She couldn\u2019t stay. So she\u2019d run. But here was worse. She wanted Numbtongue to be here. To have Mrsha and Lyonette by her side. Without them, it was just Erin again. Without her inn. As lost and terrified as she\u2019d been on her first day here.<\/p>\n Tears sprang to Erin\u2019s eyes. She tried to stop them\u2014until she realized she was doing it. Then she let them flow. Erin began to snuffle and wipe at her eyes.<\/p>\n Part of her still told her to be embarrassed. But Erin didn\u2019t care. It didn\u2019t matter if people saw. Why was it wrong to cry in public? Because the Gnolls and Drakes were staring at her? Some were pointing. Only, now she realized.<\/p>\n They knew her. They had seen her. Some had to have recognized her. The girl who led the Goblins. Did they care? Did it matter? Pallass had done nothing. Liscor had done nothing. Erin still couldn\u2019t forgive them. Not Zevara or Olesm or Selys or Krshia. She hated them all. Even if it wasn\u2019t their fault. Hated them because there was nowhere for Goblins to run, but they\u2019d died for a city they couldn\u2019t even enter. Erin hated them and wished they would all burn in\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cHello? Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked up. She wiped at her blurry eyes and saw a figure standing in front of her. He had dark, near-black fur. He was tall, as Gnolls were.<\/p>\n A Gnoll looked down at Erin. A man, or rather, a fully-grown Gnoll. Middle-aged, in fact, starting to develop streaks of grey in the blackness of his fur. He looked down at Erin and smiled, baring his teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, young Miss Human. You\u2019re looking down. Is something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Nothing. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Everything<\/em>. Erin wiped at her eyes. Her nose was starting to run. The Gnoll looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look like you could use a rest. Why don\u2019t you come with me? My place isn\u2019t far from here. I\u2019ll treat you to a drink. Or a snack?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m fine\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin didn\u2019t want to go with the Gnoll. But he bent and offered her a paw. His smile was reassuring.<\/p>\n \u201cNonsense. It would be my honor, yes? And the snack is on me. Come, I insist. I have candy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Erin left. And after a bit, so did Numbtongue. He didn\u2019t use the magic door. He just walked out of Erin\u2019s inn. On his back was a small pack, a rolled up bundle of wood secured with straps. The straps were tight, but positioned so the bundle could be ditched immediately if need be.<\/p>\n At his side, Numbtongue carried a sword. Plain, made of steel. It wasn\u2019t as shiny as the swords of the adventurers in the inn, and it wasn\u2019t magical at all. In fact, it had taken several bad blows that had partially damaged the edge despite the previous owner\u2019s attempts to care for it.<\/p>\n But it was a sacred blade. Numbtongue would have traded it for nothing at all. And in the same way, the guitar he owned was just as important.<\/p>\n The neck had snapped. The base had been damaged. But thanks to a [Repair] spell and some patching with wood, it could still be played. Numbtongue had restrung it himself. Tuned it. But he left the guitar on a table. After all, it would just be a door away.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will check the door regularly, but leave it attuned to your\u2026stone.\u201d<\/p>\n Ishkr, the Gnoll, spoke to Numbtongue before leaving. He addressed the Goblin awkwardly, blinking into his red eyes. But he did speak to Numbtongue. The Goblin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all he said. And Ishkr did not smile. But he did not curse Numbtongue. He nodded, and Numbtongue wondered how many Goblins had been accorded that little privilege. He wished the others could have seen that. Perhaps they had, but he wished they could see it again.<\/p>\n Rabbiteater and Badarrow were alive. They had to be. But where they were was a mystery. Gone, perhaps. Fled into the mountains after Chieftain Rags. Numbtongue knew they were probably long gone; they wouldn\u2019t have stayed with Human and Drake armies below. It was not for that reason he climbed.<\/p>\n It was just to fulfill a dead Goblin\u2019s will. That was all. Numbtongue stepped out of the inn and into the mud and grass.<\/p>\n The Floodplains were still mostly mud. The rains had killed the grass, and while some was trying to reclaim the hills and valleys, there was still mud. Unevaporated rainwater. And accordingly, bugs.<\/p>\n Midges, to begin with. But a mosquito buzzed past Numbtongue as he walked down the hill, careless of the mud that got on his feet and the foot wraps he wore. Down the hill. Up the next. By that time, he could smell the humidity and aftereffects of the rain. That smell that almost conveyed the image of grime. Not fresh rainwater here. Not good to drink.<\/p>\n Numbtongue had taken nothing but a mana stone, the bundle of wood, his sword, and two healing potions at his belt. He\u2019d even left the pickaxe along with his guitar in the inn. What was the point of taking extra weight, after all?<\/p>\n No point. And Numbtongue was aware of the merits of magical-door based travel. With that in mind, he set a fast pace, as fast as Garen Redfang would have pushed him on the march. Down the hill, heedless if he slipped. Up, digging his toes into the muck. A green thing buzzed past Numbtongue\u2019s face. He nearly swatted at it until he saw the glowing abdomen. He paused, eyed the acid fly, and without knowing what it was, decided not<\/em> to hit it.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t interested in Numbtongue anyways. It was circling with the other bugs, looking for dead fish trapped in the valleys. Or the bodies of the undead.<\/p>\n The undead Goblins were mostly gone. They\u2019d been eradicated by days of adventurers killing them and burning their bodies. But some had fallen in the valleys or lay submerged, buried. Waiting. Or just decomposing as the magics animating them failed. It was to these things, dead fish, dead flesh, that the bugs and these acid flies congregated.<\/p>\n \u201cNot a fun place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Numbtongue decided. A place that rained for one month and was muddy and nasty for the rest of spring wasn\u2019t his idea of a good spot. The High Passes were at least honest about the misery you got. He kept moving, aiming for the nearest mountain. That was to say, the base of the towering mountain that disappeared into a cloud above him.<\/p>\n Miles away. But Numbtongue kept moving. Up a hill. Down a hill. Underhill? No. The Goblin\u2019s pace was a mix between a jog and a run. By the end of the third mile, he was sweating hard and swearing as he nearly fell down a hill. Numbtongue picked himself up, spotted a giant rock, swore again, and saw it begin to scuttle his way.<\/p>\n The Rock Crab was sated. It had eaten well during the rains and had even had a good meal afterwards from all the wandering dead things. True, they hadn\u2019t sat quite<\/em> well with it, but food was food. And because the Rock Crab knew the value of food, it wasn\u2019t about to waste a potential meal.<\/p>\n Its many legs pierced the mud, giving it a firm purchase going down the hill as it scuttled towards the green thing it had spotted. Two huge pincers prepared to lash out from beneath the rock and tear the green thing to bits. The Rock Crab passed over the slope, paused\u2014<\/p>\n And saw nothing. The green thing was gone. There was just mud, some growing flowers and grass, and a long bit of wood. And a glowing purple light. But the Rock Crab\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t function like Human or Goblin eyes, so it regarded the purple thing as a mere irritant. Certainly not food.<\/p>\n Frustrated, the Rock Crab cast about for a while and then crawled off. It would search the muddy valleys for food instead. The place where the green thing had been was quiet for a good few minutes after Rock Crab had left. Then the door opened, and Numbtongue climbed out.<\/p>\n It was awkward, walking through the door in the inn and having to haul himself up<\/em> out of the door which was lying on the ground. But it was a small price to pay. Numbtongue plucked the mana stone from the door, dismantled it, and kept moving.<\/p>\n The adventurers had been surprised to see Numbtongue jumping through. One of them, the half-Elf that Numbtongue couldn\u2019t stand\u2014Falene Skystrall\u2014had asked if he wanted her to chase off the Rock Crab. If the other one, the one with the skeletal hand, Ceria, had asked it, Numbtongue might have said yes. But he remembered Ylawes from Esthelm. The Silver Swords weren\u2019t bad, but they reminded Numbtongue of the adventurers who\u2019d sometimes come to battle with the Redfangs.<\/p>\n Righteous. That was the word for them. And it summed them up so well. Well, maybe not the Dwarf. But Falene and Ylawes? Yes.<\/p>\n Keep moving. Numbtongue ran up the hill, looked for the Rock Crab, and kept moving. He was sick of hills by the time he got to the point where they stopped. Then it was actual grass, a slope going up at a steep, steep<\/em> incline\u2026<\/p>\n Here was what Numbtongue did. He climbed. First up the grass, on two legs and on all fours if he needed better purchase. Higher, to a point where grass became broken stones, large boulders. Easier to climb; they reminded Numbtongue of the High Passes.<\/p>\n Higher. Ever higher. Vegetation became sparser as Numbtongue went. And he climbed as fast as he\u2019d run, trying to get at least a few hundred feet higher. He had a suspicion that anything below two hundred feet would probably have been checked by Liscor\u2019s residents over the years.<\/p>\n About two hours in, Numbtongue was exhausted. He\u2019d been going full-speed, his hands were cut a bit, he had dried mud all over his legs, and he wanted some water. So he reached for his pack and unrolled the bundle of wood.<\/p>\n It was, in fact, wood slats. Not the prettiest of things, held together by little bits of rope as they were. But unrolled it formed a kind of\u2026of bedroll? If you laid it down, sure. But it would be the most uncomfortable bedroll in the history of beds if you lay on it. But if you placed it just so<\/em> against a bit of rock, and put a doorknob you\u2019d been carrying in your belt pouch in the little hole? And if you slapped a mana stone on the door and opened it?<\/p>\n You got nothing. Damn. Numbtongue waited. After thirty seconds, the inn appeared. Ishkr jumped<\/em> as he saw Numbtongue appear. The Goblin walked through the door.<\/p>\n \u201cNumbtongue!\u201d<\/p>\n Drassi waved at him. She was helping in the inn, serving the adventurers. Numbtongue saw they hadn\u2019t really moved much since he\u2019d last seen them. From the looks of it, some were gambling while they took turns lugging their<\/em> door north.<\/p>\n \u201cTrouble?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria looked up sharply as Numbtongue entered the inn. The Goblin shook his head and grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cThirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n Ishkr eyed the Hobgoblin\u2019s disheveled state.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get you some water. Stamina potion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWater. And I need\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Numbtongue gestured at his muddy clothes. Ishkr nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have some buckets in the kitchen. I\u2019ll refill them from Liscor\u2019s wells later, so use them as much as you need, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n Drassi waved a claw urgently.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Erin had better invest in a well<\/em>. Because getting to that stream of hers is a nightmare with all this muck! I\u2019ll talk to Lyonette about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Within minutes, Numbtongue had washed the mud off of himself outside and gotten a long drink of water. Then he took a ten minute break next to the fire. He watched Dawil lose an arm-wrestling competition to the old Human [Mage], Typhenous, and vaguely approved of the blatant magical cheating. Then he got back to work. He missed Apista flying out the door and the chaos that ensued.<\/p>\n Slower now. Numbtongue stopped his mad dash up the base of the mountain and took a more leisurely pace. Still a decently fast hike, but he was looking around now. Checking the mountain, the distant rocks, the odd tree growing on a flat bit of land, the flowers, and the bird that flew past him. It was peaceful up here. Quiet.<\/p>\n It was what Numbtongue needed. He had just his thoughts to deal with. And Pyrite\u2019s. It had led him up here, where Numbtongue wouldn\u2019t have ventured. After all, why bother climbing a mountain? To look for food? Sure, if you were desperate, but the valleys held enough. No, you only climbed if you had a reason. And that was to mine. It wasn\u2019t Numbtongue\u2019s idea. It was Pyrite\u2019s.<\/p>\n Numbtongue was trying to consolidate the memories in his head, understand them rather than lug them around. It was like\u2026the difference between knowing that fire was hot and feeling<\/em> the heat of a flame on your skin. Numbtongue could think and pull out the information he needed, but it was a conscious effort. He would rather know, and the part of Pyrite was insistent that mining was <\/em>important. It was strange how Numbtongue knew how important it was to Pyrite.<\/p>\n He had never met the Hobgoblin. But he could imagine him climbing beside him, peering at the mountain and rocks around them, grunting and pointing them out. It was eerie. It felt like more than just Numbtongue\u2019s imagination. Was this<\/em> what Chieftains could do? See the past Goblins, talk to them? But the Pyrite in Numbtongue\u2019s head didn\u2019t turn or make conversation.<\/p>\n He was still dead.<\/p>\n But he was<\/em> showing Numbtongue what to do. How to navigate the terrain without wasting energy. What to look for. Numbtongue followed the instincts in his mind. He climbed, and now he was thinking. Remembering what was, to Pyrite, knowledge bordering on the subconscious. But all fresh to Numbtongue. And what Pyrite was telling him now was all about caves.<\/em><\/p>\n Caves. Pyrite had been an expert on caves and rocks, and he\u2019d found that not all caves were made equal. There were six basic cave types, or so he understood.<\/p>\n The first were meltwater caves. That was Pyrite\u2019s name for them. They were distinctive and the type Numbtongue knew of best. Stalactites hanging from the ceiling, large, cavernous networks. The Dropclaw Bat cave adjacent to the dungeon had been one such. But what Numbtongue hadn\u2019t known was that each cave was made up of a certain type of rock, usually limestone.<\/p>\n These caves existed because groundwater and rain would eat away at the stone, dissolving it bit by bit over centuries and millennia. Hence the caves were usually one type of stone predominantly and had the stalagmites, columns of stone, and other distinctive features. It was usually the den of animals, bugs, and opportunistic monsters.<\/p>\n Two other caves were due to water as well: stream caves and sea caves. Pyrite only differentiated the two because sea caves were a product of waves and the oceans carving out stone, and stream caves could come from anywhere. Ice that melted and froze over centuries, redirected streams slowly eating away a tunnel, and so on. Like meltwater caves, all three were natural and largely unhelpful unless you were looking for something to eat. Sea caves sometimes got interesting as [Pirates] would stash loot there, but there was nothing intrinsically special<\/em> about such places.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the last three caves were interesting indeed. The first of which were tube caves. They were long, winding, smooth caves that were the product of some incredible force pushing its way out of the mountain. They were winding and, unless they\u2019d collapsed, tended to go down a long, long<\/em> ways. Useful, in short, if you wanted to hunt about. But Numbtongue knew that the High Passes were too old for tube caves to be common; instead, he\u2019d most likely find fracture caves.<\/p>\n The fifth type of cave that Pyrite knew of were fracture caves. Products of earthquakes, seismic events, or something else that made weak stone crack<\/em> and collapse, giving rise to natural pockets or places under the earth. They were helpful as much as tube caves were; you never knew what you\u2019d get or how the cave would turn out. If you were on the hunt for gemstones, you\u2019d look for tube caves or fracture caves to find as much variety as possible; meltwater caves were usually of one type of stone, not what you wanted.<\/p>\n And yet, all these caves were natural. And thus, the odds of finding anything in them were still remote. That was why the sixth type of cave was Numbtongue\u2019s best bet. And he spotted one after two hours of climbing.<\/p>\n At first, he thought it was a fracture cave. A product of chance. And perhaps that was how it had started. But as soon as Numbtongue had gotten ten feet inside, he realized it was the sixth type of cave: monster caves.<\/p>\n If caves were by and large products of nature, that was because few things could make a dent in earth and stone without considerable effort. Even the best of Human and Drake mines took ages to expand. And they weren\u2019t caves, obviously. They had supports, structure, annoying Humans with pickaxes every few feet in\u2026<\/p>\n But monster caves? They could be large and winding. And it wasn\u2019t hard to see why. Give a creature the ability to eat, dissolve, or otherwise break stone and a few decades and you\u2019d get a cave. They were the sixth type of cave, and honestly, probably the most common. And if you were lucky, they were exactly what you wanted when hunting for rare stones. Because there was a trick to monster caves that few people, even adventurers, had realized.<\/p>\n The trick was that monsters dug towards mana. Some ate it, while others simply couldn\u2019t ignore the allure of gemstones or felt the tingling in the air and gravitated towards such spots. They didn\u2019t always unearth whatever that source of mana was, but the odds were heightened that, if you poked around in such places, you\u2019d have a better chance of finding gemstones. Especially magic ones.<\/p>\n Was it useful information? Numbtongue paused as he stared at the knee-high tracks and distinctive nibbled<\/em> look of the rock walls. He looked up\u2014there was a lot of space not bearing the nibbling marks. The monsters must have collapsed the rock by accident. An adventurer might pick up on this information, but the hint about mana? Why would they bother?<\/p>\n After all, if you were an adventurer, you killed monsters for loot. Caves weren\u2019t a good source of loot; most monsters didn\u2019t have pockets or covet gold like people did. And if you were a [Miner], you tended not to want to run into monsters. On the other hand\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cGemhammer. Are they miners too? Do they mine?\u201d<\/p>\n Numbtongue remembered Erin telling him that Gemhammer was a former group of miners who\u2019d learned to fight after a particularly nasty monster infestation had invaded their work space. So they probably weren\u2019t familiar with the monster cave theory either. Perhaps it was only Pyrite. Perhaps\u2026he had been unique.<\/p>\n That gave Numbtongue some comfort as he unrolled the door and set it up against the cave wall. Here was knowledge only a Goblin had time to learn. Only a Goblin needed <\/em>to learn. Because they couldn\u2019t settle a place and exploit it like people. Here was how Goblins mined.<\/p>\n Numbtongue opened the door, retrieved his pickaxe, his guitar just in case he needed to throw a lightning bolt\u2014he doubted it could be used inside a cave, but you never knew\u2014and a lantern. Then he stepped back into the cave and walked forwards, pickaxe in hand.<\/p>\n A Goblin entered the caves, pausing, staring up at the ceiling. The first thing you checked for was faults, signs you wouldn\u2019t have the cave collapse on you. The next thing Numbtongue checked for was gas, anything in the air that was dangerous. He did that by inhaling rapidly a few times and deciding he didn\u2019t feel faint.<\/p>\n The third thing Numbtongue checked for was what he knew was there. Monsters. He found traces of them after a minute of walking into the cave. The tunnel expanded and shrank, turning into one nesting cavern\u2014buried by rocks\u2014another tunnel, at one point so low that Numbtongue had to duck, and then more exposed space.<\/p>\n Pyrite\u2019s memories told Numbtongue what he was probably going to find before he found the first cracked, dried up shell. Only a few species were so careless in tunneling that they let the stone above them collapse and slowly excavated the entire damn place. And that was the small, roly-poly insect with lots of legs and a curving shell that scuttled past Numbtongue. He stopped.<\/p>\n Rockmites.<\/em><\/p>\n The little things filled the next bend in the tunnels. They were all over the walls, scurrying from place to place, industriously widening their domain. Their little jaws were incredibly strong, but the real trick to them was the dissolving acid they squirted. Not enough to be used in combat, but just enough to weaken the stone so they could tear chunks of it away.<\/p>\n They ate stone, or at least, Pyrite thought they did. But stone is a poor diet, so Rockmites also gave lichen a place to live. It was that which constituted their diets. Lichen, rocks, small insects that came to feast on the lichen\u2026Rockmites had it simple and good. They could hollow out huge nests where they lived in quiet peace, creating an ecosystem to live in without disturbing anyone.<\/p>\n Oh, and if you disturbed them, they\u2019d swarm all over you and tear you apart. Numbtongue recalled that pressing bit of information a moment before he stepped into the cave. He froze. But Pyrite was calm. Or he would be, if he were here.<\/p>\n This was all you had to do. Numbtongue slowly walked forwards, watching each step he took. The Rockmites sensed him instantly; they didn\u2019t really pause in their tasks for the most part, but the ones closest to the ground let go and fell off. Then they scurried towards the Goblin.<\/p>\n Step. Step.<\/em> Numbtongue kept his balance, guitar raised, pickaxe held at his side. He stopped when the little shapes crawling around him grew too many to avoid stepping on. Then he waited.<\/p>\n The Rockmites were investigating this intruder warily. They scuttled around him. Thousands of eyeless little bugs, clicking<\/em> on the stone floor. Numbtongue wondered what they tasted like. Pyrite answered for him.<\/p>\n Not good, unless you boiled them with a lot of salt. And even then, not worth the effort. They could take chunks out of you fast. If they attack, run and don\u2019t stop.<\/em><\/p>\n But they wouldn\u2019t attack. Numbtongue had to believe that. He held very still, waiting, until the first Rockmite scuttled up his leg. It didn\u2019t take long. Numbtongue felt the prickly, painful legs crawling up him, and before the first bite could take a chunk out of his flesh, he opened his mouth.<\/p>\n Click!<\/em><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t a word, but a sound. Numbtongue made the clicking sound as loud as could be and felt the Rockmite let go at once. The others around him fled back a few feet. Numbtongue waited. They scuttled around him and then approached.<\/p>\n Click!<\/em><\/p>\n Again, the Rockmites fled. And now they had the hang of it. Scuttle forwards, and Numbtongue would click<\/em> loudly. After four attempts, the Rockmites decided that this strange thing was neither food nor danger. So they left him alone and scuttled back towards the walls. Numbtongue exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all you had to do. Just click<\/em> as loudly as you could and they\u2019d realize you weren\u2019t food and leave you alone. If one bit you? Shake it off. But don\u2019t step on them, take no sudden moves\u2026Rockmites weren\u2019t predators. They didn\u2019t want to kill you, just live. If you left them alone, they\u2019d leave you alone.<\/p>\n Humans never understood that. But Pyrite had, and he\u2019d walked through countless Rockmite caves, sometimes passing by the bones of creatures who\u2019d come with malice aforethought. And now Numbtongue walked past them.<\/p>\n The Rockmites had settled one big nest, but their tunnels were ever-expanding to accommodate their nests and lichen production. Numbtongue passed from the nest down the first tunnel he found, clicking<\/em> now and then to scare away the Rockmites. And now he was sure of it.<\/p>\n There was magic here.<\/p>\n You could feel it. A vibration at the back of your mind and head, a constant tingling, as faint as could be. You couldn\u2019t really sense it in Erin\u2019s inn\u2014there was always something going on, for one thing. And that magic door sucked the mana right out of the air. But here? There was something magical giving off a faint emanation, and Numbtongue, moving ever so slowly, couldn\u2019t help but sense it.<\/p>\n \u201cNatural leyline? Lost artifacts? Magic monster? Gemstones?\u201d<\/p>\n There were all kinds of things that produced magic. And where magic was, the stones picked it up. Over time, over the course of many years. The right stones, the right combination of magic. Pyrite didn\u2019t know, but he had at least observed cause and effect. And it was a second Goblin trick that Numbtongue employed now.<\/p>\n He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. The mana stone. He\u2019d left the door at the entrance to the cave, but Numbtongue wasn\u2019t about to leave the stone to be snatched by some greedy crow. Or worse, have an adventurer or Mrsha try and follow him. And the mana stone had another use here too.<\/p>\n The darkness of the cave was absolute as Numbtongue turned off the lantern; even his eyes couldn\u2019t pierce it. But then he lifted the mana stone up, and a different, softer light filled the room.<\/p>\n The mana stone was purple, a deep, calm, plum glow. It filled the cave around Numbtongue, glinting off Rockmites quietly gnawing away, off the stone ceiling, a faint light. But Numbtongue felt like it was bright enough to see everything. In the darkness, even the little light was a beacon. So Numbtongue held it up and held still.<\/p>\n Wait. For minutes, as your heartbeat faded, as the Rockmites dug in the distance, as noise stopped. Wait. Wait and focus\u2014not on the mana stone, but past it. Sensing the darkness. Sensing the level of light. And then take a step. And another.<\/p>\n Hold the mana stone up at eye-level. But always look ahead. Watch your step for Rockmites, walk. Down this way? Or that? It doesn\u2019t matter. You\u2019ll go everywhere in the end. Wait, and step carefully. Watch the glow.<\/em><\/p>\n That was all you did. Hold up the mana stone and follow the glow. Where the light of the mana stone grew brighter or where you saw flashes amid the cave walls, you stopped. You might find a bit of ore, gemstones, or something magical.<\/p>\n Wait. Wait and walk. Contrary to what someone might think\u2014if the thoughts of Goblins mining ever crossed their mind at all\u2014Goblins weren\u2019t active miners. They didn\u2019t hammer at stone, trying to expose veins and tear out huge sections of earth with grit and sweat. They waited. They moved in places only monsters went. Searching for the light.<\/p>\n Numbtongue did the same now. He walked slowly, carefully, inspecting this cave. Perhaps the first of many today. There were no guarantees, after all. The magic he felt in the air might be in his mind after all, or so faint he\u2019d never find it.<\/p>\n In time, he would gain a prospecting Skill. But this was how Pyrite had done it starting out. Not looking for gold or gemstones, which often required digging and guesswork. But walking through the dens of monsters. So Numbtongue walked deeper into the Rockmite tunnels, following the glow and the footsteps of the Goblin he had never met.<\/p>\n Waiting. Walking. Slowly. Learning how to live without fighting.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing the strange, black-furred Gnoll did when Erin stopped crying was offer her something. A white, fibrous stick, one of several in a small packet.<\/p>\n \u201cNali-<\/em>stick?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at it. She sniffed, wiped her nose on her sleeve, and stared at the Gnoll. Then she looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to kidnap me or drug me, you want to lure me into a back alley first. Or a van. Or wagon, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll looked shocked. He stared at Erin and then burst out laughing. Some of the Gnolls on the street turned as he laughed, nearly dropping the little white sticks on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why would I do that?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI dunno. Isn\u2019t there an expression about not taking candy from strangers around here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Humans never looked gift horses in the mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll grinned, his teeth flashing. He pointed at the little sticks.<\/p>\n \u201cThese aren\u2019t poison, Miss Human. And I\u2019d be a poor [Kidnapper] or whatever the correct class is to try and take you in Pallass, much less on the street surrounded by Gnolls. We can hear a scream even behind closed doors and track a scent for miles.\u201d<\/p>\n That was true. Erin looked around. This area did have a lot of Gnolls in it compared to the seventh floor. The Gnoll saw her indecision.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can also smell drugs and poison. Well, most. Ah, but perhaps you don\u2019t know nali-<\/em>sticks? <\/em>These aren\u2019t poison. And I\u2019d prove it by offering it to anyone who asked.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t raise his voice, but he didn\u2019t have to. At his words, the group of Gnoll youths broke off from their game of kickball and raced over. The older Gnoll fended them off, grasping the small package to his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cBack off! One! I\u2019ll share one with you all. Here. Split it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Before he\u2019d finished, the little nali-<\/em>stick was torn apart and shared among the four Gnolls. Erin saw them chewing and closing their eyes with looks of bliss. That convinced her.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this is a drug\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll assured her. Erin was about to say she\u2019d try a drug in her current mood\u2014at least, one of the fun ones that didn\u2019t take your nose off\u2014but she was content with that. She accepted the nali\u00ad-<\/em>stick, eyed it, and then bit the top third of it off and chewed.<\/p>\n Instantly, Erin\u2019s eyes grew wide.<\/p>\n \u201cSweet!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll chuckled at Erin\u2019s reaction. The other Gnoll youths were begging for another, and with a sigh, he plucked another from his pack. Instead of giving it to them, he raised it and threw<\/em> it across the street. The Gnolls yelped and dove for it. Erin thought they wouldn\u2019t mind a bit of dirt.<\/p>\n Neither would she. The nali<\/em>-stick was as concentrated with sugar as anything she\u2019d eaten from home. It was sinful. Delightful. She ate the rest of her stick, licking her fingers, and noticed the Gnoll was watching her.<\/p>\n Here would be the point where a suspicious person might wonder if he was trying to approach her with some kind of ulterior motive. If not strictly kidnapping, then something else. But Erin didn\u2019t get that sense from this Gnoll. He had a terrible, terrible<\/em> way of approaching anyone from Earth, but he couldn\u2019t know that.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. I\u2019m Erin Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll transferred the remaining nali-<\/em>sticks to his other paw and shook her hand gently.<\/p>\n \u201cRufelt. City Gnoll.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCity Gnoll?\u201d<\/p>\n It was an odd way of introducing himself. Erin knew there was a difference of course; Mrsha was a Plains Gnoll, and she didn\u2019t let anyone forget it. But it seemed to matter here. Rufelt grinned sheepishly.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Apologies. That\u2019s a habit from meeting other Gnolls. It helps avoid confusion, you see. Do you know the difference between a City Gnoll and a Plains Gnoll?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne lives in tribes, the other lives in cities?\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt nodded. He tucked the nali\u00ad-<\/em>sticks into his belt pouch as he spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cCorrect. But the difference is more\u2026hm, let\u2019s say serious than that, shall we? By saying I am a City Gnoll, I avoid confusion. Which can happen if a Plains Gnoll assumes I\u2019m one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned wider but, Erin thought, with a slight edge.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, to hear them say it, a City Gnoll is a domesticated fool without tribe or loyalty. But I would say that being a City Gnoll means I don\u2019t roll over and bow to tribe loyalty. I am free, not born into a family of hundreds or thousands who all have connections to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026There\u2019s a lot to unpack there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. But that is a difference I would not trouble you with at the moment. In truth, I hoped to speak with you, Erin Solstice. I know your name\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was suddenly weary and much less happy with meeting Rufelt. He tilted his head.<\/p>\n \u201cMm. Yes. But not just from there. I heard you were in Pallass, or rather, word spread that someone came through the door. So I wished to find out who. And I am pleased I met you, yes? And I think my wife will also be. She is coming and not pleased I found you first.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed. Erin turned, expecting to see\u2026but what she saw was a female Drake, her scales bright purple, striding down the street. She was around the same age as Rufelt. And, Erin realized, she was one of the first middle-aged Drake women that she\u2019d met. She knew younger Drakes like Embria and Selys, and older ones like Tekshia, but Zevara was around two decades younger than this Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. There you are, Rufelt. And this is the Human? Erin Solstice? Lasica Feltail. You\u2019ve met my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you a Gnoll could find a Human faster than any number of Street Runners you paid.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica turned and gave Rufelt a look that Erin read in two ways. Exasperated, annoyed at his gentle needling. And below it, affection. A complex look that didn\u2019t stop her from turning to slap his shins with her tail.<\/p>\n \u201cBragging becomes a Drake, not a Gnoll. Anyways, Miss Erin? I will call you Erin, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n She held out a hand, and Erin found herself shaking it before she knew what she was doing.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, no. But, um, why did you both want to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica exchanged a glance with Rufelt.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, why did we want to meet the first person from Liscor since the siege ended?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr why we wanted to meet someone willing to pay Pallass\u2019 fee for entry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr the fact that it was the Crazy Human Innkeeper from Liscor herself who entered?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait\u2014hold on. Fee? And wait\u2014do they really call me that?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked from Lasica to Rufelt. The Drake tapped her foot, staring at Erin with raised brows.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Are you being serious? Yes, they call you that. Do you think you can lead an army of Goblins without earning a name? Let alone the stories I\u2019ve heard of your little inn. Rivers of blood, skeletons as guests, serving Crelers<\/em> for breakfast\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think she means the fee, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt muttered to Lasica. The Drake glanced at him and then turned back to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cAh. They didn\u2019t make you pay to enter Pallass?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmf. Well, I suppose a hero of Liscor deserves free entry. But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that we want a word with you about that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake woman\u2019s impatient tone was quelled by Rufelt, who put a paw on her shoulder. He murmured as she glanced at him.<\/p>\n \u201cLasica. I think this is not the time for confrontation. Miss Erin was distraught when I met her.\u201d<\/p>\n For a beat, the Drake locked eyes with her husband, and Erin saw something invisible pass between them. A thought, perhaps. Then the Drake turned back to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cNot the time, then. But for later. In truth, we wanted to welcome you to Pallass. From what I heard, Venim and the Assembly gave you a poor welcome last time\u2014and this time as well from the sounds of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had a [Greeter] show me around. But about this fee\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin protested weakly. Lasica rode over her, like the tide over a sandcastle at the beach.<\/p>\n \u201cA [Greeter]? Then you\u2019ve barely seen the sights. Come back with us, and we\u2019ll work on you\u2014first your mood. From what I see, that\u2019s Rufelt\u2019s job. And then\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know there was a fee to enter Pallass at all. No one told me. How much was I supposed to pay?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica paused. Rufelt raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one told you about the fee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was wondering if it was something else she\u2019d missed with Watch Captain Venim or if he had waived it for her. Rufelt scratched at his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIntriguing. Tell me, Erin. Does five gold coins to use the door to Liscor ring a bell?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica folded her arms. Erin\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cFive <\/em>gold coins? That\u2019s robbery! No one told me about that\u2014and wait, five coins? Do I get paid some of that? I never set a price on the door. But I should. Shouldn\u2019t I? But I\u2019m sure no one pays to go to Pallass, or if they do, Zevara never said!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica\u2019s eyes narrowed. She glanced at Rufelt. He was blinking and running a hand down his furry chin, staring at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cRufelt, do you think this is another gambit by\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Protectorate? I do indeed, my dear. And one that Liscor might not even be aware of. Worth a mention, do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica nodded as if she were declaring war. She swung around to face Erin, who was blinking at the two of them. It had been a long time since she heard people half-finish each other\u2019s sentences. Her parents used to do that all the\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I had intended something else, but I\u2019ll change my schedule. Come on, we\u2019d better muster the troops. The Protectorate\u2019s not getting away this<\/em> time. Erin, if you\u2019ll come with me, we can do some good.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned, gesturing at Erin. The young woman nearly fell into step behind Lasica before she knew what she was doing. The older Drake was imperious. She looked at Rufelt, who was walking next to her, looking cheerful and relaxed.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, but I\u2014sorry, we\u2019ve just met. And I appreciate, the uh, stick, but I have things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t, really, but the sudden turn of events was startling. Lasica turned and gave Erin a long stare, condensed into a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you were planning on doing what, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm. Wandering about and crying some more?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica gave Rufelt another look, this time a glare. Erin practically read the \u2018you didn\u2019t say <\/em>that\u2019, and his apologetic look of \u2018you didn\u2019t give me a chance, my dear<\/em>\u2019. Lasica turned back to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the more reason to come with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll show you the city as we walk.\u201d<\/p>\n They urged her on, and Erin found herself somehow walking without them touching her. Lasica was on her right, talking briskly, Rufelt on the left, adding little asides.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see, we were looking for you, but this news about the door changes things. I don\u2019t want to intrude, but it really is important. I know you might think it\u2019s just Pallassian politics\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd minor ones at that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But it does matter. You know\u2014actually, you might not\u2014that Pallass is a democracy? Well, we have yearly elections, and we\u2019re a week away from ours. And so any edge is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t come to you expecting to hear there was no fee on Liscor\u2019s side. And in truth, we\u2019re pleased to simply meet you, Erin. May I call you that? But Lasica\u2019s on the warpath, and I\u2019d like to support her on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s head swiveled back from Lasica to Rufelt, blinking as they made their way towards the elevator. She settled on Rufelt.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you were a City Gnoll who answered to no leader.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned and gave her a toothy grin.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, you\u2019ve not ever been in a relationship then. One where you give and take.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was wondering what he got from Lasica. She looked at the Drake, at Rufelt, and blurted out something boiling on the tip of her tongue. She couldn\u2019t help it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never met a Gnoll and Drake couple before.\u201d<\/p>\n The said Drake and Gnoll stopped in front of the elevator. Lasica pulled a cord absently, and a bell rang. Then she turned to look at Rufelt. He met her gaze and then both turned back to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now you have. Have you ridden the floor lifts before, Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t get nervous about heights, do you? There\u2019s no fear of the cables breaking\u2014and if they do, there\u2019s a feather fall enchantment. We use the stairs usually because the lifts do terrible things for the stomach, but we\u2019re in a hurry and I don\u2019t fancy going three floors up on foot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2019m fine. But where are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo visit the blacksmithing section.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt smiled at Erin as the elevator came back up. The Drake with the pink neck spines sighed when she saw Erin. Lasica stepped into the elevator.<\/p>\n \u201cNine.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake looked at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich floor, Human?\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice was audibly impatient. Lasica\u2019s head turned slowly. She narrowed her eyes at the elevator attendant, and her tail lashed a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is with us. <\/em>Nine.\u201d<\/p>\n The attendant looked at Lasica, and Erin saw her quail a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cMy apologies. Going up to the ninth floor\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin felt the elevator shoot up and braced herself. The other occupants were steady on their feet. Rufelt smiled again at Erin and gestured to their rapid ascent.<\/p>\n \u201cFascinating things, aren\u2019t they? So recent as well! Imagine if we could build a spire or something straight up like the [Architects] are suggesting? True, it would go over the walls, but could anyone hit such a building if we placed it in the center of the city? And we could use the floor lifts to make a journey from the top to bottom a matter of minutes!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a splendid idea. But who\u2019s going to pay for that much stone and enchantments?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica folded her arms. Rufelt shook his head, but not exactly to disagree.<\/p>\n \u201cIt need not be a work of years. It may take decades\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy bother, then? You know it will be fought over for ages by each new assembly. If you do something, do it fast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just said there\u2019s no money\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI asked where the money would come from, not that there wasn\u2019t any to be had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Lassi.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt smiled at Erin. So did Lasica, after a second. The elevator stopped, and Lasica marched out.<\/p>\n \u201cA difference of opinion. We often argue about politics.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a fight?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared between Drake and Gnoll. Lasica shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot a very good one. This way. This is the smithing floor, by the way. Ninth. If you ever come looking for someone to forge anything, this is your stop. But that\u2019s not really your line of work, or ours, is it? The finished products are on seventh along with a lot of shops\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stepped forwards out of the elevator with Rufelt by her side. Her eyes widened as she felt herself on the top floor of Pallass other than the battlements. She looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa.\u201d<\/p>\n The ninth floor was the smallest. At least, in width. It was a narrow band running around each wall compared to, say, the second floor, but that narrow band was still large enough to support a very large space. So large, in fact, that the first thing Erin saw outside the elevator was a row of outdoor forges. And she could hear a rhythmic clanging<\/em> of metal on metal coming from one.<\/p>\n \u201cBehold! The smiths of Pallass!\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt had to shout to make himself heard as Erin followed Lasica towards the third forge. The [Blacksmiths] of Pallass had been given their own quarter near the top of the city, and their work spaces had been placed right next to each other. They were sprawling complexes with anvils, multiple forge fires depending on how big each forging studio was, and rightly so.<\/p>\n Erin could feel the heat of one of the furnaces from here, and she saw a sweating Drake pounding on an orange-white piece of steel. A blade? It was cooling fast despite the heat, and she saw him shove it in a furnace filled with coals\u2014and fire\u2014and begin working a pair of bellows.<\/p>\n \u201cHot steel!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Someone bellowed. Erin jumped, but she was well clear of the voice. A Drake passed her by, carrying what was indeed a very<\/em> hot piece of steel. She noticed Rufelt crossing to her other side as he did.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is incredible. Look at all those furnaces.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hadn\u2019t ever seen a [Blacksmith] at work, let alone the dozens within view. Rufelt shuddered.<\/p>\n \u201cIncredible? Yes. But dangerous as well. There\u2019s a reason most of the [Blacksmiths], [Armorers], and apprentices and so on you see are species other than Gnoll.\u201d<\/p>\n He gestured at his fur. Erin eyed him and thought of how fast you could burn yourself when your entire body was covered by hair.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah I get that. But, uh, why are we up here?\u201d<\/p>\n She was still caught up in the flow. Lasica was walking ahead of them, peering at the forges as if looking for someone. She slowed down a bit to explain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about the Protectorate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStart from the beginning, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Actually\u2014can you explain it, Rufelt? I don\u2019t know how I would to someone who\u2019s not a Drake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Yes, allow me. Erin, I believe my wife spoke to you of Pallass\u2019 democracy, right? Are you familiar with the term?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, a little bit. Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. That saves me much explaining. Well, we elect our ruling body, the Assembly of Crafts, by district. There are hundreds who fill the assembly, but they are not all individuals, yes? You see, there are factions. There are always<\/em> factions. We elect Senators, but each tends to belong to a party. An affiliation of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent parties. Different groups. Totally with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt raised his brows as if to say, \u2018really<\/em>\u2019? But one look at Erin\u2019s face convinced him. Lasica broke in.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. Well, of the major groups, there is one that concerns us. The Protectorate has been growing lately. Excuse me\u2014they call themselves the Protectors of the Walls and take a hard stance on immigration, trade, and so forth. They\u2019ve been popular because their tariffs favor local businesses, but they go too far, at least in some<\/em> of our opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned and gave a passing Drake a glare, as if to suggest that he<\/em> was one of the complicit ones. Rufelt chuckled as the accused Drake gave Lasica an odd look and hurried past. She went on calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t like them, Rufelt and I. But happily, their party took a large blow to their influence after Liscor. Too many people saw them as tail-dragging cowards who could have done more to aid the city. Instead, we cut ties, and the entire world saw how few soldiers we sent while every other Walled City and lesser city-state was marching armies north.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow. So Liscor\u2019s siege had more of an effect on Pallass than I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked at the married couple and saw Lasica smile. Rufelt grinned again.<\/p>\n \u201cNot just Liscor. A certain [Innkeeper] had as much to do with the Protectorate\u2019s misfortune as well. Had Liscor fallen, the Protectorate might have claimed it was all sensible precautions they took. Instead, they look like fools and will lose ground in the yearly elections. Or so I think. And this soon-to-be scandal will only fuel that flame, don\u2019t you think, Lasica?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, definitely. As if we needed another reason to like you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait, you like me? You barely even know me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, give it time. We just have to pop in to visit\u2014hey! Is this Maughin\u2019s forge for the day?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica shouted as she came to a large and very busy forge. Erin saw a Gnoll\u2014covered in a protective apron and patches of missing fur\u2014look up as he worked a grindstone and sent sparks flying on a blade. He shouted an affirmative. Lasica bellowed at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for Maughin! Is he available?\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than shout, he pointed. The Drake turned and walked around the forge. Erin followed, and Rufelt stayed behind the two.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get too close! They\u2019re running about with steel in there and sparks go flying! You stay back too, Rufelt!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin saw Lasica approach the main section of the forge. And there she saw two people working on anvils, both with their own dedicated forge. One was a Drake, younger, and the second was another of those not-Human people in armor. The Drake\u2014it was a she beneath the soot, Erin thought\u2014was brushing at some very<\/em> hot metal while a huge man in armor, twice her size, was shouting orders at her.<\/p>\n \u201cFaster! <\/em>Remove the scaling in one stroke or you\u2019re wasting heat! You don\u2019t need a Skill, just move your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n His voice was clearly audible over the sound of the other forges. The female\u2026armor girl nodded and brushed faster. She apparently did it right, because he pointed, and she was on the piece of metal, hitting one spot, and, from what Erin could see, making it longer, stretching it out.<\/p>\n \u201cMaughin!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The word made the armored man look up. He scowled at first, but when he saw Lasica waving at him, his face changed. Not exactly to happiness, but at least the scowl dissipated a little. He shouted at one of the other armored folk waiting in the wings and got a nod. The other apprentice or worker took over supervising as Maughin strode towards them.<\/p>\n He was another person in armor, like Lorent. But this fellow, Maughin, was huge. A proper giant! Not as tall as Moore, but certainly nearly as broad-shouldered. His armor was metal, finely engraved, but, Erin had to notice, light plates of steel rather than the heavier armor Lorent had worn. Even so, he was very sweaty and red in the face. As he walked over, he reached up and\u2014Erin was ready for it, but she still gasped\u2014took off his head and carried it in one arm.<\/p>\n \u201cLasica. Rufelt. And who is this?\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin\u2019s voice came from his head as he held it out, away from his body. Erin didn\u2019t know if it was an insult or to keep him cool\u2014until she realized he was holding it down, at head-height. Lasica nodded to him.<\/p>\n \u201cMaughin, meet the Human from Liscor. Erin Solstice. Do you recognize the name?\u201d<\/p>\n The huge man paused. He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead, carefully patting his head with a bit of cloth. Erin didn\u2019t know whether to stare at the head or the body.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name strikes a bell. From Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe very same. And guess where she just came from? The doorway that costs five gold coins. Which, as it turns out<\/em>, was free for her and apparently anyone coming through from Liscor. What do you think about that?\u201d<\/p>\n The armored giant thought for a second. Then he turned his head to spit.<\/p>\n \u201cPolitics. Why are you bringing this onto my forge floor?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin kept staring at him. Maughin eyed her and Lasica. The Drake was cool and addressed his head calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only want you to bring it up with the other [Smiths]. Say, by sundown? You can just send an apprentice over. But you know this is bad for trade.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do. On the other hand, trade flows north regardless of a single door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut through the Blood Fields? You must admit you have few clients as far north as Liscor, and none in Human lands. And here\u2019s a door, only we\u2019ve apparently been deincentivized to use it. Did I mention that no one on Liscor\u2019s side knew of the charge? At least, not the [Innkeeper] herself.\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin\u2019s head turned towards Erin. She froze up. The giant\u2019s head frowned at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this true?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I\u2014how do you do that with your head?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The man blinked. Lasica stared. And Rufelt, who\u2019d been hanging back, barked with laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cMaughin, you might be the first Dullahan she\u2019s met! Don\u2019t frown so!\u201d<\/p>\n The armored man\u2014no, the Dullahan<\/em> stared at Erin. Then, slowly, he placed his head back on his shoulders. He spoke slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cApologies. I did not realize that there were Humans who didn\u2019t recognize Dullahans on sight. Was this\u2026offensive to you?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin noted the small frown and the nudge Lasica quickly gave her. She waved her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cNo! Not at all! But I\u2019ve never seen\u2014I mean, I\u2019ve seen people without heads, but they\u2019re normally dead when that happens. I had no idea there were people like\u2026uh. Hi! I\u2019m Erin Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n She held out a hand. Maughin took it and gave her the lightest of squeezes. Lasica smiled, looking amused.<\/p>\n \u201cMaughin is a Dullahan. From Baleros.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin finally remembered where she\u2019d heard the word Dullahan before. But she\u2019d never seen a Dullahan or quite understood what a Dullahan was <\/em>until now. Rufelt and Lasica gave her the condensed version.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you can remove heads and<\/em> limbs? And you wear armor, but you can decorate it? That\u2019s so\u2026so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pondered for words. Hermit crab-like? Robot-ish? She settled for a safe bet.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026cool! I bet there\u2019s all kinds of stuff you can do! Like\u2014do your work and put your head down and read a book! Wait, you can\u2019t flip pages that way. Or\u2026or go swimming with your head above water! But you can\u2019t see that way\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDullahans can sense the area around their bodies. But it is not so convenient. Nevertheless, I am pleased you speak so highly of our abilities. Not all Humans do.\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin was a slow, deliberate speaker. And like Lorent, his face didn\u2019t change as visibly as another species\u2019 might. Erin got the sense that he was quite formal outside of the forge. Lasica jumped into the conversation then.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I was saying, you had no idea of the fee levied on visitors from Pallass, did you, Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh, no. Not at all. And I wouldn\u2019t charge a thing! I only agreed not to ship Runner\u2019s goods through the door. You know, so they wouldn\u2019t go out of work? And merchant\u2019s goods. But visitors are welcome!\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin pondered this. He looked at Lasica.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this is a Protectorate bill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr, at least something the Assembly did under wartime powers that they didn\u2019t<\/em> inform us about. All perfectly legal, but not exactly fair. This is hardly a measure to save lives, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin looked displeased, but he didn\u2019t spit again. He looked at Lasica and sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to bring other guilds into this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least the [Alchemists] and some of the other businesses. We do good work inside the city, but these tariffs are hurting us all, Maughin. If this needs to be our sticking point to get more support, so be it. What do you say?\u201d<\/p>\n The Dullahan chewed this over. At last, he grudgingly nodded. But he turned to Erin as he did.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have my support on one condition. [Innkeeper] Solstice. Will you swear that Liscor had no knowledge of these fines?\u201d<\/p>\n He bent down to look at Erin. She gulped but met his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. I didn\u2019t know, and Watch Captain Zevara didn\u2019t either. Or she would tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin thought she would, at any rate. She hoped Zevara would. Maughin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I will speak to the others and reach an accord. Although I\u2019m uneasy about opening a door fully to another city, even so.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a full connection, Maughin. That door can barely handle a few travelers per day. After the [Mages] moved the soldiers back from Liscor, they were half-dead, and the Assembly requisitioned everyone in the city. Come on, you know this is a good deal. Even if they only let people through, you could get orders from Liscor. The City Watch at least will want to bulk up after the siege.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dullahan was nodding reluctantly.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue. That might open up business. But I was more concerned about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDone!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Every head turned as a shout came from the forge beside Maughin\u2019s. Erin heard a low, bass voice and an accent that was half-familiar. Then she saw a short, bearded fellow stumble out of his forge, holding a breastplate. The metal didn\u2019t gleam; it was black with soot or something else, and bits of it flaked off as the Dwarf hurled the breastplate on the ground. But from the pure sound Erin heard as it struck the stone and the way it only flexed a bit at the impact, she was sure it was a sturdy breastplate.<\/p>\n \u201cPelt.\u201d<\/p>\n Maughin looked over disapprovingly at the Dwarf. The other [Smith], who was shouting back into the forge, looked over. He blinked at the Dullahan.<\/p>\n \u201cMaughin. Taking a break? Good for you. I\u2019m done as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glanced at the sky. It was barely past morning! Maughin seemed to share the same opinion. He stared at the breastplate lying on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cYou finished your suit of armor?\u201d<\/p>\n The Dwarf, Pelt, shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cBreastplate. Good enough for me. I\u2019m done for the day. Armor looks good. So we\u2019re done. One of the apprentices can do the engraving and inlays.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if they err?\u201d<\/p>\n There could be no greater sin, clearly. But Pelt shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s adornment. It doesn\u2019t matter. The steel is sturdy. And I don\u2019t feel like making more. Who\u2019s the Human?\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed a finger at Erin. She smiled, and Lasica began to explain. Pelt cut her off with a rude sound.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care. Vote whomever you want into your damn seats. So long as the walls don\u2019t come crashing down, leave me out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Affronted, the Drake glared at him. Rufelt looked resigned. Pelt stomped past them as a Drake hurried out to collect the breastplate from the ground. Erin stared at the Dwarf\u2019s back as Maughin shook his head and turned, quite deliberately, to talk to Lasica with his back to the Dwarf.<\/p>\n \u201cWho was that?\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt sighed and shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cPelt. A brilliant [Smith], but a lousy worker. An odd combination in someone with high levels. But Maughin probably wishes Pelt would drink himself senseless all the time or sober up and take him on as an apprentice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s that good?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at the Dwarf, who was shouting for an elevator as he rang the bell. He looked unsteady. As if he was already drunk or, alternatively, hadn\u2019t bothered to stop while forging. The Gnoll frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cGood enough that he can work for a fraction of the time as our good Dullahan and still be competitive. There\u2019s a saying of the two of them. You\u2019ll always go to Maughin for good, high-quality work. But you hope Pelt has a good day, and if he does, you buy from him.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glanced back at Maughin. From what she could see, his forge was the largest, and his apprentices were working very hard alongside the journeymen. Meanwhile, in Pelt\u2019s forge, a single Drake was cleaning up and working on the breastplate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem quite fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cLevels dictate much. And despite Maughin\u2019s skill, he cannot yet match Pelt. But in a few years? Perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had no idea there were\u2026Dullahans in Pallass. Or Izril, to be honest. Are they common, just not in Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll frowned, but it was Maughin who approached and answered for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are few Dullahans on the continent, but we have a community in Pallass. After all, it is a city that offers [Smiths] a chance to work. We supply the southern half of the continent with much of the armor and weapons from these forges. If you so desire, Erin Solstice, I will take a commission from you. I shall remember your name.\u201d<\/p>\n That had a ritualistic sound to it. Erin smiled and bowed to Maughin slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I will, uh, remember yours. Maughin, right?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. Erin waved goodbye as the Dullahan walked back to his forge, already calling for an apprentice. Lasica shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that was simple, but I could have done without Pelt. You\u2019re lucky he didn\u2019t spot you, Rufelt. He\u2019s still sore at you for cutting him off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen all is well, Lasica. Where to next? Let\u2019s not drag about our guest more than we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was actually enjoying this a bit. Meeting Maughin had been fun. And she had a sense\u2014even if she was hazy on the particulars\u2014that she was doing something that was going to bug Pallass\u2019 Assembly of Crafts. So she was all in. Lasica smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Well, we don\u2019t need to go far. We\u2019ll visit Xif, the [Alchemist], so he can send word along through his guild. And\u2026stop by Melinni\u2019s storehouses?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can bear it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake lashed her tail.<\/p>\n \u201cTo tweak the Protectorate\u2019s noses? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA noble sacrifice. Lead on, then.\u201d<\/p>\n To Erin, Rufelt pointed across the ninth floor to the other side.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re headed to the [Alchemist]\u2019s section next. The other side, you see the colored smoke coming from that roof? That\u2019s our destination. It is a bit of a walk\u2014the [Engineers] haven\u2019t developed a floor lift that goes sideways, yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr at least, one that doesn\u2019t take up too much space.\u201d<\/p>\n The two marched across the floor, Erin walking between them. By this point, her curiosity was fully stoked.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I get that Maughin\u2019s a good [Smith], but what\u2019s the plan here? Get people angry at the Assembly and then what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all we need to do. It just needs to be the right people. Butchers, bakers\u2014well, a [Chef]\u2014and potion-makers. And a [Smith]. Throw in a few more high-leveled shopkeepers and artisans and we can cause a fuss. By sundown, the Assembly will have to issue an explanation for why we\u2019re cutting trade with Liscor, and they might throw the Protectorate entirely under the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt smiled happily to himself. Lasica nodded. They passed by a huge stairway, one of the four leading straight down all nine floors. Erin saw a crowd coming up the steps, some looking winded from the climb. She was passing along the walkways around the stairs when she heard another voice.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me! Street Runner, coming through!\u201d<\/p>\n This time, she looked and saw the Gnoll hurtling past her in time. He leapt\u2014not towards the busy stairs, the right side of which was going up, the left travelling down\u2014but towards the ramp separating the two. Erin watched as the Gnoll charged down the incline and wished, for a second, that she had a piece of cardboard so she could sled down.<\/p>\n She saw the Gnoll pass by a Drake girl kicking her feet while sitting on one of the guardrails, perilously teetering on the abyss. She looked up and, to Erin\u2019s horror, stood up on the guardrail and pointed at the Street Runner.<\/p>\n \u201cRace you!\u201d<\/p>\n She leapt. <\/em>Erin jerked, but then she saw the young Drake\u2019s wings unfold. The Gnoll racing down the steps grunted as the Oldblood Drake girl dived past him, laughing merrily. The Street Runner didn\u2019t look too pleased; Erin saw him turn abruptly and the girl Drake turn clumsily, crying out as she fell behind.<\/p>\n \u201cFoul, foul!\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt and Lasica laughed at the young woman\u2019s reaction. The Drake reassured Erin there was no danger.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if there was, it\u2019s her parent\u2019s fault for not getting her flying lessons. We\u2019ve got enough Garuda, and they\u2019re natural-born fliers. Don\u2019t worry. Some of the scaly brats love to race Street Runners. More often than not, they lose; many of them don\u2019t exercise their wings enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen\u2014okay, I\u2019ve seen a few other people\u2014but Drakes with wings are still new to me! Not common in Liscor at all! I know a Drake who breathes stuff, though. Mostly smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOldblood Drakes are rare. Liscor doesn\u2019t have\u2026? Well, I suppose it\u2019s a smaller city, isn\u2019t it? What kind of breath is it? Just smoke? Acid? Frost? Lightning?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, generic. Well, that\u2019s still rare enough. And speaking of rare\u2026I have no proper segue. Here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n She was leading them to the house with the chimney belching smoke. Rufelt coughed as they approached, then sneezed repeatedly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother<\/em> place I\u2019d stay back from. This is why I hate the ninth. Lasica, mind if I\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica nodded. Erin, who\u2019d already caught a strange whiff in this section of the ninth floor, realized they were along a street filled with houses or studios that had the same weird scent emanating from them. A few had blown-out windows. One looked recently vacated. And burned.<\/p>\n The house in front of them looked normal except for the smoke. Lasica waited and Erin blinked as the door opened and revealed a Gnoll with shaggy tan fur\u2014stained every color imaginable and singed in two places.<\/p>\n He smelled like eight things at once, none particularly good, and all nose-searingly strong. Rufelt refused to even go near him and left Erin and Lasica, whose noses weren\u2019t nearly so good, to talk to the [Alchemist].<\/p>\n \u201cI can barely smell at all these days. A byproduct of my work. So you are<\/em> the [Innkeeper] one hears so much about? I am Xif, [Alchemist] of\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced over his shoulder quickly at the sign over his shop.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026the Cunning Crafts. No, Cunning Crafts is my shop. My apologies, yes? Oh, and I am a City Gnoll, if anyone asks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I you! Very kind of Lasica to bring you to meet me. Why, I saw the events at Liscor\u2014a terrible thing, what those Humans were about to do. But you stopped them! Only, I doubt that\u2019s the only reason you\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n He was nothing like Octavia from his pleasant, if befuddled, demeanor and the way he gave Erin the impression he was thinking of five things at once, like some chess players she\u2019d met. Always thinking ahead and around her. He nodded when Erin pointed out the difference.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, some [Alchemists] create potions in number to make money. But I, like others in Pallass, live only to create that which no one has ever seen. Or to rediscover and recreate lost recipes of old. It means I do not earn as much as some\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica rolled her eyes and twitched her tail irritably.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But he\u2019s the most reliable [Alchemist] in the city. The best for actual commissions. At least, when he\u2019s not endangering the rest of it with his experiments. There\u2019s a reason why we put the [Alchemists] on the top floors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo deal with the smoke and other stuff floating up?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pointed at the chimneys. Lasica shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. To make it easier to throw [Alchemists] off the walls if they cause trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSadly, true. I\u2019ve lost many a good friend who incurred the wrath of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Xif\u2019s ears lowered. Erin stared in horror at him. That couldn\u2019t be true. Could it? But his face\u2014<\/p>\n She saw Lasica\u2019s grin and Xif\u2019s smile, then. Erin stared at them in astonishment as the old Gnoll and Drake woman chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re teasing <\/em>me?\u201d<\/p>\n She heard a laugh from Rufelt, who\u2019d also listened to the joke. Xif leaned over, chuckling. He didn\u2019t smell that bad, actually. Once your nose shut down, that was.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake humor. It always involves someone suffering, yes? Pleased to meet you, Miss Solstice. It was a brave thing you did. I hope to see at least one Gnoll pass through from Liscor if Lasica has her way. Which she will, of course. Naturally, I\u2019ll agitate my fellows. They\u2019d love nothing better than to harvest acid flies around Liscor, but none of them have thought of it yet I\u2019ll wager. They\u2019ll cause a stink, quite literally if you want it, Lasica.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA metaphorical one does for us. Good day, Xif. Stop by this evening if you\u2019re free. We miss you at the bar. But do remember\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo wash. Ah, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll bid them farewell. Lasica nodded, smiling a bit at the door, and Erin thought Lasica liked the old Gnoll more than Maughin. But the next moment she was all business.<\/p>\n \u201cOnwards, then. We\u2019ll stop at that damn\u2014the scaly tease who\u2014we\u2019ll stop by the fourth floor, and then I can let you relax at our place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what exactly is that place?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see once we get there. But I think you should know already.\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica walked on. And Erin couldn\u2019t help but follow. She stared at the Drake as Rufelt followed them, sneezing and complaining about [Alchemists]. Erin was getting a funny feeling. The oddest sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/em> Only, it was coming from Lasica\u2019s back as she led them to an elevator.<\/p>\n Down five floors at a dizzying pace. This floor was filled with fewer people than Erin expected and more large, warehouse-like buildings and workers hauling goods. In fact, warehouses were the right word for it. For, at the next stop, Lasica rapped on a small building connected to a very large warehouse. The sign read \u2018Melinni\u2019s Meats\u2019. Well, that was straightforward enough.<\/p>\n \u201cRufelt! How wonderful it is to see you! And you. Lasica.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake had nearly perfect white scales, spotted only by a few pink dots along her tail. She and Lasica greeted each other like old enemies, and Rufelt hugged Melinni as she was introduced to Erin and given the rundown. The Drake [Butcher] clucked her tongue after she\u2019d heard the story.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Protectorate\u2019s afraid we\u2019ll visit Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they just wanted to make it seem like only Liscorians would want to visit Pallass and not the other way around. Or devalue the door. Or do any number of things. The point is, we\u2019re causing a fuss. Can you get the other [Butchers] in on this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor you, Lasica? No. For Rufelt\u2019s sake? I suppose so.\u201d<\/p>\n Melinni sighed, and Lasica glared, but Erin had been watching the two Drake\u2019s tails, and she suspected half of their animosity was staged. Melinni did insist on showing Erin her \u2018shop\u2019 before they left, though, and it turned out her butcher\u2019s shop was more of a storehouse for all the meat you could ever want.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026a lot of meat.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared inside the disturbingly room-temperature storehouse at the racks of fresh meat, sausages, cuts of animals, fowl, fair, and still bloody. Melinni dealt in all kinds of meat. From Wyvern to rabbit. The Drake spread her arms wide, showing Erin the glowing preservation runes on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cMore meat preserved here than you could eat in ten years, Human. But still, it is only a fraction of Pallass\u2019 stockpiles. Come and see if you would like\u2014but mind the floor runes!\u201d<\/p>\n She led them down the main section where buyers could point out what they wanted. But access beyond there was strictly forbidden; only the workers could pick out the meat and cut it.<\/p>\n \u201cSlippers only if you walk past this point. Each section is double-warded, but we must take care not to scratch the protective runes.\u201d<\/p>\n Melinni was the richest [Butcher] Erin had or possibly would ever meet. She could separate every bit of fat from a bit of meat with ease, but she\u2019d found her real fortune in preserving meat long enough for it to be used. Her store house was one of the biggest on the fourth floor\u2014Erin was slowly realizing that everyone Lasica and Rufelt knew were the big cheeses of their floor. She had to tell the Drake about the runes she\u2019d accidentally damaged in her inn. The Drake was beside herself with the pain of Erin\u2019s recollection.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, darling. You should have stayed away from that! But, rotten as it was? I\u2019m surprised it was still going. Don\u2019t beat yourself up too hard. Any good [Enchanter] could have spelled the wood against that sort of thing, but do they bother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt and Lasica chorused with Melinni. Erin looked from face to face.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have problems with [Enchanters] too? I was trying to get some work done, but I hear they\u2019re hard to hire.\u201d<\/p>\n Melinni shuddered.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, the worst<\/em>. Good [Enchanters] are hard to come by. I speak of the ones who work without asking for more coin or slacking off on the job or arguing about design. Pallass has some, and I hate them all to some degree. I tend to work with generalist [Mages], but their knowledge is often not so specialized\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bar has several enchantments, but upgrading is very difficult. I\u2019ve been waiting for a good Wistram [Mage] to stop by for months now. There\u2019s a fault in the seal of one of our preservation runes, or so I think.\u201d<\/p>\n Bar. Erin stared at the Gnoll, and Lasica elbowed him, but it was too late and Melinni didn\u2019t care. The Drake led them out, talking animatedly with him about the magical equivalent of home fixes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trick is to apply a tiny<\/em> bit of silver powder combined with crushed mana stones\u2014any will do\u2014and a tiny bit of glue. If the rune is working, it sometimes connects the\u2026the gap? I\u2019m no [Enchanter], but we\u2019ve done that for two faulty runes, and it\u2019s worked both times. I only store the daily cuts there, though. One can never be sure\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a bar?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica looked put out as they bade farewell to Melinni, or rather, her husband did.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a secret. Rufelt has a bar. I own the kitchen. We\u2019re a partnership. Or did you think two random strangers had sought you out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026I\u2019ve had weirder encounters.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufelt chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cI somehow don\u2019t doubt that. But we are in the same business as you, Erin. And we always check out the competition. We\u2019re headed to our bar now. We\u2019d be delighted if you joined us. We didn\u2019t mean to drag you about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t mind. But are you sure? Don\u2019t you have a business to run?\u201d<\/p>\n Lasica waved that away.<\/p>\n \u201cWe make our money at night. And we have preservation runes of our own. We\u2019ll stop by there. And we have<\/em> to treat you, not just for the news about the door\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She stopped as they neared the steps leading up to the fifth, which was their floor. A loud, chanting voice had risen above the general noise of the crowd. Erin saw the Drakes and Gnolls on the stairs look over their shoulders and clear a path on the left side. Then she saw a huge, muscular Drake wearing tight-fitting clothing charge up the stairs. He was followed by six Drakes and a Gnoll.<\/p>\n \u201cOne, two, three,