Chương 211: 137, 2/2

Ezekiel, Julia, Tiffany, and Paul, passed the farms of Grey Cloud and Red Lotus, only to walk by even more farms with much less security to them. And then Ezekiel had a surreal moment as he looked across a field of wheat in the process of being harvested, and saw the redscale Valok and his young pinkscale daughter. They were harvesting the grain right alongside everyone else on the farm. This was obviously a false impression.

The two strangers were not Valok and Delia, two of the very first people Ezekiel and Julia met as they walked in from the desert. And yet, the resemblance was uncanny. A redscale father. A pinkscale daughter. In this case, a world further, a year later, and with completely different people, it was like Valok and Delia were gathering wheat, instead of planting rice. Julia noticed, too, her eyes going a little wide. She sent, ' How are those two doing, anyway? Has Delia tried to kill or steal from you again?''

She never tried to kill me, Julia.' Ezekiel tore his eyes away from the lookalikes and focused on the road, sending, ' Valok is doing great, last I heard. Still not talking to his daughter because he doesn't want to scare her, and Delia doesn't want to talk to him yet; not until she can defend herself in a land of shadelings. I might have been too stringent when I told Delia to be that self-policing, but… She's doing well in her classes at Oceanside, as of a week ago. Getting good with Decay magics.

She's going Scion of Balance and aiming for the Calamity Dagger Class, and also working on becoming one of the Headmaster's Elites.'' Good for her,' Julia sent. They walked on. - - - -" So," Tiffany said.

"We have no money now." Tension broke. Ezekiel laughed. He said, "Sorry about that." They walked along a nice, wide road, twenty meters across, that stretched far past the horizon, toward Eralis in the unseen distance. Smaller group housing, private farms, and even little village squares had started to pop up to the sides of the main road and down myriads of side roads with some regularity.

Many of the houses held multiple floors, but more than a few were simple one-story buildings, built wide and out of wood (possibly to invalidate [Stoneshape] shenanigans), with peaked, blue roofs. Odin flew high, high above, and Ezekiel saw the actual city of Eralis far ahead, but it appeared they would have to go through suburbia and then the floodplain of a delta to get there." I'm not disparaging, boss."

Tiffany said, "I'm sure we can find something that pays, but it woulda been nice to not have to worry about paying for a night's sleep."" The Tribulation Mountains always have monsters in them." Julia said, "Worst that could happen is that we find the [Teleport] zone into the city, get some papers or whatever the entry system requires, then go out and hunt a few beasts. Getting back to Eralis is going to be a lot easier the second time around. That was always the plan, anyway."

Ezekiel stepped off of the center of the road, toward the right, as other people began to start using the roads, too. Julia, Tiffany, and Paul followed his lead. Just ahead, on a side road that seemed to be another major-ish road, carts pulled by cows moseyed north and south, carrying goods bound for markets, or people bound for destinations. Runners, or some other type of job, raced left and right, remaining on their own sides of a solid white line in the center of the road. Some of them had packs on their backs.

Some just had their own self, and their blue-edged official-ish clothes that were barely more than shorts, tunics, and shoes. They ran fast. They used some variation of [Swift Movement], for sure. Ezekiel saw one zoom by and activate a quick pulse of healing magic on themselves, likely so that they could run faster, because then they did just that. A cloud of dust ripped up from the solid stone road as the runner vanished toward the north.

Some people complained about the dust, setting off a chain reaction of others complaining about the lack of rain. The four members of Clan Phoenix rapidly navigated the cross traffic and continued on down the main road, where they naturally joined the midday throng of people walking to and fro. This was not a journey of people walking all the way toward Eralis, though.

This was just a journey of people going about their normal lives in suburbia; buying food at the grocers over there, getting new shoes at the cobbler on the other side, taking a small jaunt toward the apothecaries and the shopping center down that way. … Going to that brothel over there, which did not look like a place of health and respite, but more like the exact opposite of that. … Kicking that drunk while he was down on the ground already, and huddled against the outside wall of that bar. …

Getting manhandled by the guards walking down the street. … And there's a homeless man getting picked up by guards, and getting thrown in a wagon with other homeless people.

'Bound for War' was written on the side of the wagon, while the homeless inside were given bread and informed of their new fate. Ezekiel frowned." Not as bad as I expected," Julia said. … Aside from a few things… Yeah. It wasn't that bad, actually. Over there, some young human women were out on their own, walking between shops and laughing in the open.

Across the way, a young incani boy, barely a man, held the hand of a very old incani woman, practically dragging the smiling elder forward, talking about how mother was waiting for them. 99 percent of people were just walking along, minding their business, or rapidly crossing or narrowly avoiding the center white line in the road, where runners and fast-moving cows dominated. Ezekiel only saw the less-savory parts of the city because Odin still flew in the sky, allowing him temporary oversight of the whole land.

His own Perception, down on the ground, allowed him to see the world around him in better detail, and through all of his senses. He wouldn't have even seen the homeless wagon or the brothel if not for his eyes in the sky. What he would have focused on, were the scents in the air, because they were walking past a large market square full of two and three-story restaurants. The air smelled great. The city was clean. The people dressed nicely, mostly. And no one was fighting anywhere.

But there were a fuck-ton more people than Ezekiel had expected. And this was just the suburbs!" There are so… so many people." Ezekiel said, "Everything is so clean."" I'd say to watch your pockets," Tiffany said, "But I think enough people are watching our pockets for us."" We certainly are drawing some eyes…" Ezekiel's voice trailed off as he focused more on the world directly around him.

The people on the road gave the four of them a wide berth, but no one did anything besides glance their way before quickly turning their attentions in other directions. Some walked a bit faster to get away. Some walked slower, or moved to the other side of the street, braving the fast paced traffic in the center. It was easy to see why they were drawing attention.

Ezekiel, Julia, and Paul, were all in their [Conjured Armor], looking like magenta, dark blue, and sapphire blue jewels in a sea of browns, whites, and tans. And then there was Tiffany, standing twice as tall and half-again as wide as everyone else in the predominantly human, incani, demi, harpy, and everything else crowd. She was the only orcol in sight. She still had her grey armor on, too. A quad of guards spied them from a guard tower, a good fifty meters ahead.

Each of them wore steel breastplates with feathers and lightning motifs. They blipped down from the tower, in unison, landing on the road in front, directly in the way. The people nearest the guard moved away from the potential battlefield, while the guards —two incani, one human, one dragonkin— waited for the pink idiot to approach. Ezekiel did not disappoint them.

And then one of the incani guards stepped forward, and bowed, before Ezekiel could even stop, saying, "Apologies, master Scion, but might this one inquire why you are out and about in full defensive regalia?" He raised his head, and gestured forward, down the road that Ezekiel had been walking.

"If it would please you, we could walk and talk, or perhaps I can find you a carriage to make your walk that much more enjoyable?" Ezekiel broke stride for a moment, smiled briefly, then kept on walking. The guard walked alongside him, and Ezekiel allowed it. Ezekiel explained, "We're not from around here and we cannot afford a carriage, for various temporary reasons. I have come to inquire about alliances and information and such, but I wished to see what the Highlands were like outside of the cities, first.

It's a lot more prosperous than I was led to believe, and that makes me very happy." The guard said, "The Songli people have a long history of accepting clans into the Highlands, so I wish you luck. But, if you would pardon this one's impudence, we do not allow such grandiose displays of power, and your mana signature is very… vibrant."" Ah." Ezekiel said, "Well. You see: We walked in from the east, hoping to see all of this land from the edge to the center.

To that end, we started in the prairie past a farm held by a clan we soon discovered to be named Grey Cloud, near where they bordered another clan which we found out was named Red Lotus. We were attacked by seven Hunters before we got to those Clans, however. Perhaps they thought they had a numerical advantage; I know not. The problem of those Hunters is resolved, now, but I suspect that whatever was going on there will only escalate… or maybe not.

You will understand that I am hesitant to drop the defensive measures I and my people have employed. I expected some sort of trouble on this trip, but not quite the intrigue that had the misfortune to find us." The incani guard barely betrayed his sudden flash of inner fear as Ezekiel spoke, and he was not the only one. Several nearby people increased their walking speeds, getting further away, just a bit.

The guard resigned himself to pressing forward, and said, "Please accept a carriage on behalf of the Highlands, Scion; no charge. We are a block away from a carriage house."" Very well. I will accept." The incani guard visibly relaxed. He stepped forward, happily saying, "Allow me to lead you, Scion." Ezekiel allowed it. The 'carriage house' was only a few hundred meters forward, located on the corner of a north-south road half the size of the main one.

Ezekiel had a sudden memory of another time, in another world, where people flew in on large metal birds, to land in town and to then take a carriage to their next destination, for the carriage house was directly next to the teleporting platform for the area.

Half of the area was flat, open land, tiled with solid white stone and filled with people blipping in and out, but almost no one came in or left on their own; it appeared that the people who actually cast those [Teleport] spells were in blue and white garb, in some sort of Nelboor-corollary to the Wayfarer's Guild. Or maybe it was just a Highlands thing.

Those blue and white people moved off toward a side house after they blipped their people, while inside that side house, there were more people waiting to get blipped into other locations. It appeared the passengers and their blipper would walk out of the side house, and onto the white tile square, before they blipped away. The other half of the space looked more like a guardhouse than a carriage house.

The people coming off of the [Teleport] field walked toward that guardhouse, under the scrutiny of bored guards up in their guard towers. Inside that official and open-air building, the people spoke to guards, getting papers or flashing badges, and generally being ushered through as fast as possible.

When the people were done talking to the guard, a great majority of them just walked away, into the town, but the richer looking ones took carriages that were lined up all the way down the side road, waiting to accept passengers. It was to the front of this line of carriages that the incani guard took Ezekiel and his team. He bypassed the first carriages in line, for none of them were large enough for Tiffany. The fifth carriage was big enough, though.

It was a large, window-filled wagon with lots of space, views, and with two hulking bull cows to pull it. The guard rapidly spoke to the driver about 'charge the guard, no tips, straight to Eralis' as he slipped the man a metal token that was certainly not currency. The human driver briefly complained, but only with his eyes, before instantly putting on a smile and turning to Ezekiel.

Ezekiel's guess was that they had more than enough strange, high-powered people walking around that they had protocols for this sort of thing, and that he and his people had fallen into one of those protocols. Interesting. The guard turned to Ezekiel, saying, "Thank you for accepting our hospitality, Scion. This carriage should get you all the way to the city, and a fair bit faster than walking."" Aye!" The driver said, "I'll take you right to Teleport Square inside the city, if that be what the Scion wants."

Ezekiel said, "We would like exactly that. Thank you for your assistance. Both of you." It was the work of moments to get everyone in the carriage, and to start down the road. As the cows wheeled the carriage out of the line and started on the journey to the city, the incani guard and his four people bowed to the departing carriage. Tiffany said, "I can get behind this nice treatment."" How many people do you think were plotting to kill us out there?" Julia asked. Paul said, "Mostly fear, from what I saw.

Lots of worry. No plots to murder. More than a few people wondered why a Scion was in their midst. We came into the city in an odd way. I didn't think it would be this odd." Ezekiel said, "That's about what I saw, too." He exclaimed, "And there's just so many people!" Tiffany laughed.

"Yeah!" Julia said, "Low level, though."" There are few monsters around here so almost everyone is under level 20." Paul said, "But that doesn't seem to be a problem. It's… It's a better looking life than I had expected. Better than I had been warned." Ezekiel gazed out the window, watching the prosperous world go by, and said, "It's a lot better than I thought it would be, too."

Tiffany chuckled, saying, "You say that, and yet we were attacked by seven high-level Hunters—" A knock came from the barrier separating the driver from the cabin. Julia opened it, saying, "Yes?"" Pardon Scion, but we will be speeding up now and there's a bump when that happens. Just wanted to let you know."" Thanks, good driver!" Ezekiel said. The vehicle lurched, as the cows began to speed up.

Within moments, and likely because the cows somehow had [Swift Movement], and the driver had [Rejuvenation] to keep them high Health, and also the skill, or perhaps the Spell to make the cows use their Skills, the carriage joined the speedy line of traffic headed toward Eralis, in the unseen distance. The driver shut the partition again, but Ezekiel had Julia open it. The driver startled, briefly." Good driver?" Ezekiel asked, "How did you get the cows so well trained? Some [Husbandry] spell?"" Oh? Uh."

The driver was clearly nervous, but he managed to get out, "Oh, no! Just good old training, Scion. Uh? You're not from around here, I take it?"" Not even a little bit." The driver went silent. Julia almost went to close the partition, but Ezekiel shook his head, and it stayed open. The window provided a nice breeze in the cabin, as the carriage rolled west, to Eralis. Ezekiel stared out the window, watching as the city rolled by.

Tiffany and Julia seemed equally engrossed in watching the massive, multi-million person 'suburb' around Eralis. Ezekiel had seen this land from the air, but those Odins were way too far to see what he was seeing now; he didn't want the magenta [Familiar] to trigger any alarms over the city, after all. Those high-flying Odins took great care to avoid the [Alarm Ward]s strung across the sky that were only visible to [True Sight]. But…

It was almost to the point that having Odin way up there wasn't actually helpful, at all. It was a nice ride. But... Paul stared out the window, slack-faced, and possibly worried. Ezekiel asked, "Are you okay, Paul?" Paul blinked a few times, then said, "I had heard certain things about this place. I expected certain things about this place. I expected we'd need to fight off marauding bands of clans or soldiers, I did not expect a sprawling metropolis. I did not expect a carriage ride into the city."

Ezekiel nodded. He turned to the open window, and asked, "Driver?"" Yes, Scion?"" Do you mind if I bother you for some information?"" Never be a bother to me, Scion!" The man spoke happily, but falsely, saying, "Ask away!"" What's the population of Eralis? Are we actually in Eralis right now?" He asked, "Could you give us some basic information that you think we might want?" A small chuckle came from the driver, as some of his worries seemed to evaporate.

He relaxed a fraction, and said, "I'd be happy to do that, Scion. I haven't given a proper tour in a long time, but I've lived here all my life. Let's see… I'd start with this: If someone asked me where I lived, I would say Eralis, but that'd be a minor lie. We're actually in the town of Redflood. There's towns like this one scattered all along the Wanzhi river. Rich farming land, you see? We're nary a stone's throw from the Delta right now, and though that place still floods, this Water Season is drier than usual.

The rains are just late, I suspect." Once we get past Redflood and the Wanzhi Delta, we can enter into Eralis directly. Right through the Void Gates! Very impressive sight." And though you'd have to take a different road out of the west side of Eralis, it'd look the same as this one, and you'd eventually find more towns like Redflood, but smaller, for sure. The Army and the Border Clans tend to keep us safe as newborns, but outside of the borders and such… Yeah. You'll find the usual warmongers." He paused.

He asked, "If'n you don't mind me asking sir. What's yer goals here in the Highlands? I might be able to direct you somewhere specific."" I want to talk to the Songstresses. I heard they're famous for how they make their magic, and I want to know more about that."" Ah!" The driver happily said, "Then you'll be wanting to go to the Void Theater. Center of Eralis. You seem like someone who could see the sights from the air, and in such a case, you can't miss the Void Theater.

Only building that looks similar to the Void Gates. But. Er. Don't be flashing— Er. I have been told that the guard don't like people being flashy with magics like that, er… Scion. They reintroduce the ground to fliers rather painfully, if'n they can. Probably best not to go flying in the city limits… if you even could— Which I'm sure you can!"" Then we will search on foot once we get there." Ezekiel tried to make his tone as nice as possible, without being weak, as he asked, "Anything else we should know?"" Oh!

Sure! There's lots! Let me tell you about..." - - - -' Julia' found herself grinning whenever she forgot to stop herself, ever since the encounter with the guards of Grey Cloud. But now, as she watched peaked-roof buildings and so many people roll past her window, and she heard her father speak like a real Scion for about the fiftieth time, she let herself smile. He was good at this, and this was fun. This was really fun. She sent him, ' You're so much better at this than I expected.''

Ezekiel' paused in his words to the driver, briefly, but then kept talking to the driver as he simultaneously sent her, ' I paid attention to you kids and your role playing games, and all those movie nights you and I shared when you were a kid.' Julia almost laughed.' There's no way that those things prepared you for this. I read books about blending in. Joined a club in college. I didn't think you had a subterfuge-bone in your body.''

A large part of blending in seems to be more about reading the room and filling in a story about yourself that other people expect you to follow, and I have seen a lot of different stories. But yes. You're right.

I'm only able to do this, here, because I'm listening and watching everyone around us, and working to adjust my actions to what I see and hear.' He added, ' This part is a lot easier than I thought it would be, but I fear we might have come in too strong. We might have to fail at something in order to be knocked down a peg by the people who we do not want to meet, but I'm getting the impression that all we've met are low-ranking people who would never gainsay anything we do.' Julia blue-screened.

She felt like the world had shifted under her feet. Her father had just said that. Her father. The naive pacifist… Well. He wasn't that anymore, was he? And he hadn't been that for a long time. Probably still too much of a pacifist, though. He should have just Blessed those Hunters. A jail of the soul was better than death, especially if those bastards could actually make good on their threats to come back from the dead, but Julia suspected that that was just them posturing for their lives.'

Well you're doing a great job, dad.'' Thanks!' He sent, ' You are, too.' Julia scoffed a small laugh, then stopped pestering Ezekiel. She could be doing a lot better, but she was fulfilling her 'role' right now, and that was what was needed. Julia let her father engage with the driver, while her mind turned toward a different direction. Back toward a thought that had been on her mind for a while, now; to the New Stats.

Perception would allow her to unlock her mana sense much easier, but Intelligence is what allowed her father to make sense of what he was seeing, wasn't it? What boon would she want to take for herself? Which was actually better? She asked her father for his thoughts on the question.' It's the Intelligence allowing me to make sense of all this, but I wouldn't notice all the social cues without Perception. So it's a tossup. If I could only pick one, I'd do Perception for the mana sense.

But Tiffany's better at that than I am, and she doesn't have Perception, so Perception is obviously unnecessary. Therefore Intelligence might be better in the long run.' The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. … Another point in Intelligence's favor. Julia went silent, and contemplated. - - - -' Tiffany' relaxed in the back of the carriage, sitting beside 'Ezekiel' as he spoke to the driver.

She had a lot of legroom in this vehicle, though the carriage was still half the size it should have been in order to make this a comfortable ride. It would have been overcrowded if her original team was with her. They would have needed to take two carriages! Ah. What a fun thought. Ah. And look at that. She could think of them without crying. She smiled, faintly and to herself, as she looked out the windows.

The city was full of small people, and the journey was perilous and full of unknown dangers, but that suited Tiffany just fine. In truth, it was better than 'fine'. This was great. She would have liked to see some other orcols walking around or whatnot, but outside of the Forest, and outside of Glaquin, her kind were treated more like beautiful giants and less like people. Thank the gods she was able to wear her armor into town, otherwise she would have felt so uncomfortable.

It was the undressing with the eyes that really got her. Wearing unflattering armor helped. The Red Bitch's curse was one of the many reasons that orcols didn't venture very far from the Forest. … Unless they were into that sort of thing. Tiffany had a hard time understanding that urge to fuck someone who found her pretty, but some people were into that. Besides that, though, fucking around with non-orcols was odd by the very logistical nature of such an event. It was the sausage-in-the-canyon problem.

Or the barge-fording-a-stream problem. Or the fact that non-orcols were just… tiny and easy to break. A little blood in the act was fine and expected… Sometimes a lot of blood made the whole thing a lot more fun. But the smaller races were very concerned about blood. Logically, Tiffany understood the problems that small people had with blood being outside of their bodies. Their blood didn't come right back. Their skin… and holes… didn't heal like they were supposed to heal.

Across the carriage, 'Paul' flushed a deep blue. He closed his eyes, and breathed. Whoops. Too sexual for you, 'Paul'? Hey, now. Why do you think the city is named Redflood? Because of blood? Because the city has flooded before and killed a lot of people? Or because there's some 'time of the year' for the Wanzhi River, and all of a sudden it's just a flood of blood, like, out the cooch? Paul steadfastly looked away. Tiffany grinned and looked out the window. She watched the world roll by.

City Redflood ended in another north-south road that was lined in white tiles, and then a short, wide white wall, that seemed more like a staging area than a divider. The driver said, "This wall protects Redflood from the seasonal floods when the red flits swim upstream to spawn, and the entire river turns sparkling red." Tiffany eyed Paul. Paul slowly turned and eyed the partition, and the driver beyond that opening. The driver continued, "Beyond here is the delta for the Wanzhi River." And it was.

They passed the dividing wall and the road began to rise. Not too high, but high enough to give the river below all the space it could ever need. Behind them, two and three story blue-roof buildings, and their individualized courtyard-like properties, dotted the city of Redflood. Here, beyond the wall and below the bridge, the water flowed like a lazy wanderer around banks of grasses and mud, and people fished or bathed along the white wall of Redflood. It was all rather idyllic, as far as Teressa saw.

Very peaceful. Kinda nice. The driver spoke of speeding up and the carriage began to move faster, to keep up with the rest of the traffic, racing toward or away from Eralis in the distance. The cows were practically galloping, now, but they made less noise than before. The driver said, "We're coming up on the Noble District, to the right. You might be wanting to go there, master Scion, but I can't help you with that. I don't try to reach the stars and the stars don't cast me down into an early grave."

Ezekiel asked, "Does that saying have something to do with the Clan Star Song you were talking about?" The driver suddenly shut up. Then he went, "Uhh."" Should I steer clear of Star Song?"" Uhh…" The driver sputtered, "Uh. They're fine people! Couldn't ask for a better Head Clan, and I mean that, too, Scion. They're great. They keep the roads and they keep the peace. But people like me don't reach too high because… We just don't. I should shut up, now."" Thank you for the talk, driver."

Ezekiel said, "If I had any gold on me, I would love to pay you for this, but maybe I'll strike it rich soon enough. What's your name?"

"… Uh. Dohzi," the driver said in a happy, completely fake way.

"Dohzi is my name, Scion. Thank you." Tiffany smirked. That's a fake name. Everyone was using fake names today. Ezekiel said, "Thank you, Dohzi. We're Clan Phoenix."" Oh! I wouldn't presume to ask your names, good Scion."

'Dohzi' said, "Don't worry none about me. I can best be forgotten." Ezekiel nodded, then said, "If that's what you wish." … The driver slowly reached over and closed the partition. Tiffany looked out across the waters, and saw the 'Noble District', and was awed for not the first time. Traveling just did that to a person. Seeing new sights was awesome. Too bad she couldn't have done this with her own family. Ahh… Oh well. At least it didn't hurt to think of them, anymore.

- - - - Ezekiel gazed out the window at the Noble District. The island sat upon the center of the Wanzhi Delta like a scattering of minor mountains, filled with ancient houses, pagodas, and temples. The entire land was surrounded by a white wall, then further surrounded by the scattered banks of the river. Their current highway did not join that kilometers-wide place.

Instead, this road kept well clear, as it went on toward the west bank, where the white walls of the city stood, like a much larger cousin to the Noble District. Eralis, the first city of the Songli Highlands. Home to millions of every race that existed on Veird, though the populations were not very balanced at all.

There were human districts and incani districts and other segregations within that massive city, but most of the city was a land of mingled powers, where the guard came down hard upon rule breakers and every neighborhood had at least one guard capable of [Witness]. Try not to upset the order, or you might get drafted into the military if the arresting guard thinks you're worth a damn. Otherwise, don't walk down streets that you don't know. Don't flash your gold. Keep track of your pockets.

Stay out of Clan business, for they are in the business of keeping the city safe and prosperous, and they are legally allowed to murder anyone that gives them just cause; the only check on their power is the other clans, and their own codes of honor. And yet… Ezekiel heard the negatives, but what he saw were the positives. A city of millions. Two dozen million, if you counted all the surrounding lands, which many people did.

A city of trade, where billions of gold flowed in and out every day, where you could buy almost anything you could ever want. A city where most people were under level 20. Which… was honestly a good thing. How had a place like this survived with beings like the Shades active in this world? Where people were able to cast Red Dots at a whim? Ezekiel needed to find out. And he could already hear one of the reasons for Eralis's prosperity.

It was a song, barely heard, like a pulse to the world late at night from a bar across town that was still going strong. That song stayed, ever present, not increasing in volume or clarity, as the carriage rolled closer and closer. The driver opened the partition, saying, "Here's the Void Gate, master Scion! You only ever get to experience this once!" Ezekiel chuckled as he made a show of looking through the partition, but he had already seen the Void Gate from the air.

The driver's excitement in showing off his home to a foreigner was infectious, but that did not diminish the fact that this land was honestly impressive, and in so many ways. The white wall was a dozen meters tall and set a good kilometer past the edge of the end of the wide, wide, delta, but the ring of the Void Gate itself raised half a kilometer high, a ring of white stone that arced up and down. It reminded Ezekiel of a certain gateway made of silver metal, in a faraway land named after a dead king.

This Void Wall was more than just a simple sculptural building, though, and it was also more than the sum of its magical protections. This Void Wall was not named after anyone in particular, for there were no need for names in this particular situation. Like a dragon sized to a city, laying down in a protective circle, the Void Wall was a sculpture of Rozeta, the Dragon Goddess of the Script, without beginning and without end, adorned with a scale pattern that shimmered rainbow in daylight.

If there was a head or a tail in that sculpture, Ezekiel had not seen it; perhaps both were hidden in the city somewhere. If there were legs, those were similarly hidden. All that was visible was the endless body of the Dragon Goddess, the patron of this great city of trade and civilization of the Songli Highlands. Far to the south, Eralis opened up to deep water, where the Void Wall dipped under the waves, allowing boats to pile into the piers to bring goods to and from the city.

Kilometers out to sea, the wall arced out of the open water, up and over the main channel, like some great sea serpent's body. To the north, another arc of Rozeta's body formed another Void Gate that led to the cities and villages to the north, where the two other major cities of the Highlands lay; the farming city, Alaralti, and Holorulo, the seat of power of the Songstresses.

To the west was another arc of the Void Wall, but that one merely opened up to the coastal road, and to all the other 'villages' like Redflood on the other side of Eralis. They drew closer to the Void Gate. The song increased. Wordless words came and went in an endless choral flow. It was not uncomfortable, but it was… Not comfortable. Ezekiel asked, "Anyone else hear that? It's… kind of annoying, actually."" Hear what?"

"Nope." Paul rapidly said, "You shouldn't be able to hear that." The driver gave a good-natured chuckle, then said, "You truly are a Scion!"" Is that the Void Song?" Ezekiel asked.

"I thought you couldn't hear it."" You're not supposed to be able to hear the Void Song, but people do, all the time." The driver happily said, "You can almost always get a Clan sponsorship if you can pass the test that proves that you are actually hearing the song. Just be careful. They don't like people faking that." He rapidly added, "And here's where the denial of magic starts!" Right after that warning, Ezekiel felt something clash with his soul.

It was as though he had eaten too much pizza, but back when he lived somewhere far, far away from here. He struck his chest, trying to get rid of what felt like a sudden case of heartburn." Is it supposed to feel like… nausea?" Julia asked." The feeling will pass. They sell pills in town that'll ease the feeling for a week but after being here for a month most people don't feel it."

The driver said, "There're shops that sell those pills right beside the Teleport Square, and that's where we're headed" Julia asked, "What's the full list of denied magics?" She tapped her own chest, saying, "I can't hear it, but I can feel it." Tiffany smirked as she said, "I feel fine." Poi seemed similarly okay. He nodded, and indicated that yes, he was fine. The driver said, "This Void Wall is not some simple, set-it forget-it magic, like them runes and oils they use in smaller places.

There is a list of spells that don't ever work right, of course." He rattled off, "[Blink], [Teleport], [Invisibility], [Force Trap]. A lot of esoteric [Teleport] spells. All the Shaping spells. [Polymorph]. [Hunter's Instincts]. [Strike]. A lot of esoteric warrior spells and skills…" His voice trailed off. Then he came back strong, saying, "The Void Song focuses on those spells, and it can change from day to day, but it actually hits all magic." Ezekiel's eyes went wide.

"All magic? You can do that?"" Yes, master Scion." The driver said, "Practically all spell or skill costs are doubled, at the very least. Most are increased by tenfold."" Which ones aren't banned?" Julia asked." [Telekinesis], [Telepathy], [Cleanse], [Mend]. Most healing magics. Still doubled costs, though." The driver said. Ezekiel asked, "Is there some way around those restrictions?"" Oh! Sure!" The driver perked up.

"Everyone knows the guard ain't restricted. It's cause they got them badges, but those badges are theirs only; non-transferable. If you're part of the Clans, you might get a badge, too. Apply for a worker license for a Shaping spell, and you can get a badge for that. A lot of people go in for [Metalshape] in order to work their jobs and that's a pretty easy license. Ain't no one I know ever got a [Stoneshape] license, though. [Woodshape] is also pretty easy to get; houses still gotta get built, after all."

He brought a necklace out from under his shirt, saying, "This here's just a [Rejuvenation] license so my girls can run as much as they can. That was pretty cheap to get, but the paperwork! If'n you can make [Papershape], then you're sure to get a good paying job in Eralis. High class of life, that, and— Opp! And here we are! The Void Gate!" As the driver talked, the carriage passed under the archway of the Void Gate. The white-stone sculpture of Dragon Goddess of the Script arced high above, so far out of reach.

Ezekiel felt the world shift, like a part of him was cut off from the whole. A small part. It hurt some. But not really. Odin squeaked on his shoulder. Yggdrasil's orb continued to follow behind; [Scry] didn't seem to be affected, or maybe it was, if all spell costs were increased. From what Ezekiel felt, blocking any spell at all seemed to be easy enough, but he knew it could not be that easy. In order to interact with a magic, one needed to have that magic, first.

You can't enchant a spell you didn't have, for example. But… This Void Wall was able to increase the costs of all spells… How did they do that? It was probably exceedingly difficult. At least it didn't affect spells that were already active. His magenta armor and [Personal Ward] seemed to be fine. He did feel a burning in his chest, though. He asked, "When will we arrive at one of those pill shops you mentioned?"" I'll take us right there! Don't you worry. It's just uncomfortable; no lasting harm."

Julia rolled her eyes in the most cynical way possible. Ezekiel almost laughed. The driver hadn't been lying about anything, as far as the driver understood the world, but Julia was paranoid and saying something like that around her would always set her off. Beyond the Void Gate, the city appeared like buildings stacked on buildings surrounded by cultivated nature.

There were round buildings and square buildings, buildings with upturned roof corners and buildings stacked like ever-smaller bricks up as high as they could go. Everything was browns and whites, with lots of colorful reds, greens, and blues, and nothing looked rundown at all. The city had a flow to it, too.

One that Ezekiel couldn't quite grasp, but that he could certainly hear in the hustle and bustle of so many people and so many carriages, all moving along with each other, and mostly not getting in each other's ways. … Not that impressive of a sight, for a man who had come from a land where 'carriages' did this on much larger roads, but here, in Eralis, this was impressive. There were no stoplights here, after all.

The carriage came to a massive roundabout, well past the Void Gate, where a great many sidewalks and side roads split off, to run throughout all of the rest of the city. From the air, Eralis was well organized into blocks, but each of those blocks was like a tangled city itself. The driver discharged Ezekiel and his people on the side of the roundabout, in an area meant for such, right beside a large courtyard that was obviously the Teleport Square. This one was twice as large as the one back in Redflood.

People blipped in and out of that space, and according to Ezekiel's Sight, there was something going on in the guard towers that ringed the Square, that allowed [Teleport] to happen inside that space, but not outside the square. It was like the towers were holding back… floodwaters, perhaps. Perhaps… Like a withheld shockwave? Maybe. The driver quickly walked Ezekiel and his people to a kiosk that sold the pills he had spoken of, then he paid a silver of his own money for a small bottle.

He handed the bottle to Ezekiel, saying, "Farewell, master Scion. Enjoy your stay in Eralis." He pointed to the left.

"That's the Teleport Square, as I am sure you can see." He gestured to the blocky, white building beside the square, saying, "Get your papers and your interview over there, and they'll let you [Teleport] in and out." Ezekiel took the bottle, and said, "Thank you, driver. As soon as I get some gold, I'll pay you for the information." The driver rapidly shook his head.

"No need for that. Have a good day!" He high-tailed it out of there. Tiffany said, "He seemed like an alright guy." Ezekiel turned, and saw the reason that the driver had moved so fast. Some mean-faced guards were staring at him from ten meters away. He put on his best impression of a young noble and went to greet them, noticing all the while that quite a few random people all around them were glancing his way, and then rapidly specifically not looking his way.

The guard with the mean face, a male dragonkin, spoke before Ezekiel could." I don't care if you're destitute. I do care that you're openly wearing expensive magics." He said, "Turn them off, right now, lawbreaker."

"… Ah. You are testing me. I can appreciate that." Ezekiel turned off his magenta armor, revealing nice, peasant-ish clothing, and his Silver Star pinned to his chest. He had disguised the artifact with normal silver, layered in tinfoil-thickness over the crystal core. A lightward would have been seen as a lightward, and even this wasn't the best solution, but this was what he had decided upon.

His shoulder-pad shaped Odin was revealed for what he was, but then he morphed, and mimicked the other Odin, turning bird-shaped. Ezekiel felt an actual chill for the first time, now that he was out of his armor and the wind was getting into his sleeves. He was reminded that it was barely Water Season. He said, "As you can see, I can follow rules." He looked to his people. Julia, Tiffany, and Paul, each dropped their colorful armor, revealing similar peasant clothing.

Each of them briefly gained goosebumps from the chilly air. The guard and his men, and the other guards hiding around the area in case this meeting didn't go well, all seemed to relax a fraction. He said, "Good. Now that shield and the [Personal Ward]."" No." Ezekiel offered, "I can make the shield less obvious, if you wish." Not wanting to argue, and likely deciding he had won enough, the guard said, "Fine. Do you have a place to stay, foreign Scion? Did you come here with a plan?

How can Eralis assist you in not becoming a problem for the law, or for our people?"" As you can see, we are destitute. We came to Eralis because we heard of the power of the Songs, and we want to listen. Broadly, we come seeking allies and magic for personal matters of little importance. If you have any directions to those ends, I will listen." The guard blanked for a second as he tried to understand what he had just heard.

For Ezekiel to outright state that 'he came to Eralis for aid and secrets' seemed to have short circuited the man. Maybe it had. Ezekiel asked, "Is it truly such an odd concept to want to broaden one's horizons with travel to a land that—" Then he changed tactics, softly saying, "We were told that the Highlands held great magic. Were we misinformed?" Seeming to find his feet, the guard said, "You were not misinformed. It's just… odd to hear it so openly stated. It's refreshing." He shook his head.

"Look. You seem like a decent Scion, and Rozeta knows we need more of those. I'm gonna level with you. It's odd for people to come in here and say all of what you said. Sets off all sorts of alarms, because people come in here to try and steal, instead of ask and bargain. Here's my advice. Check-in at that Teleport Square. Get some directions to some places. Maybe go hunt for some cores in the Central Tribulations and get yourself some money, since you're obviously capable.

Make your way over to the Void Temple and see about getting a meeting with the Songstresses. All roads lead to the Void Temple, so it's not hard to find. Maybe even take a look at the Noble's District. Maybe you might meet someone you know there. But do not make a fuss about being denied at every turn and threatened with bodily harm. Please do not press any issues with the people of Eralis." He stressed, " In the very best case, don't expect anything to happen right away."

Ezekiel said, "I will accept your advice in the honest spirit of cooperation in which it was given. In the matter of money, hunting for some cores was already a part of the plan of regaining—" He paused, then said, "Well. Those are personal matters. Whatever happens, we will not be destitute for long. Thank you." Ezekiel stepped back. The guard bowed, and then his people bowed, too, but not too deep, and not for too long.

The guard nodded once more, spared a long glance at Tiffany, then moved on, a tendril of thought already connecting him to others, out of sight. He seemed like a busy fellow. Ezekiel turned toward the intake-building next to Teleport Square, and started walking. Behind him, Julia smiled as she followed, Tiffany eyed everything while people suddenly started eyeing her now that she was out of her armor, and Paul walked at Ezekiel's side.

Getting through 'customs' was fairly straightforward, and while there weren't any visible truthstones, there were still glowing rocks under the desks. This led to some careful evasions. Eyebrows were raised, but the woman behind the counter didn't seem too interested in pressing any particular issue; she just asked the questions as an automated quill wrote down his answers, in duplicate.

By the end of the three minute interview, Ezekiel gave his Clan name of Clan Phoenix, of which he had to spell for her since she had never heard the word before, his goals, which were hunting some monsters for some money and then looking into what the Songstresses were all about, and his expected length of stay, which he tentatively put at a week or a month. He wasn't sure. In return, he got a quick explanation that open displays of magic were highly discouraged (but not illegal!) and that approved Clans, of which he was not, according to her own 'list of approved Clans' she kept behind the counter, might take umbrage with him for so openly flouting accepted custom." Why not just make it illegal, then?" The intake-lady spoke in a bored tone, "Because we value those who can still cast under the Void Song as they are sure to some day be the very people who will move against our enemies and keep us all safe."" Ah?"

Ezekiel asked, "So the other Clans will take umbrage with me not because of actual anger, but because it looks like I am intruding into their territory by defending myself? That I am insulting their hospitality, or something? Or am I misunderstanding that?" The woman's bored tone momentarily vanished.

"Who is to say what goes on in the minds of our betters." She slapped a piece of paper down in front of Ezekiel.

"Please sign here, and we can conclude this intake." Ezekiel did so. He got one paper, which he was to keep on himself at all times. Since he was not a citizen, if he was found in the city without those papers, there would be a fine. The duplicate set of paperwork went into a large box behind the intake lady, where, after Ezekiel asked, he found that it would go to the Records Office, and that all black marks he might accrue during his time here would be added to that paperwork.

If the Records Office discovered something heinous, then he would be tracked down and evicted from the city, or worse. Ezekiel said, "Well… I'm rather confident that my Clan has never been here before…" The lady waved him off.

"Not my problem. Enjoy your stay in Eralis." She shooed him and his people away, and Ezekiel went. He hadn't even gotten the chance to ask about hotels. He didn't really need to, though, since he heard a majority of the conversations happening around him, but he would have liked to have had the official recommendation. None of the other people at the other check in counters were Scions, so their recommendations would obviously differ from his."

That seemed to go okay," Julia said, as they walked past the Teleport Square." Decently enough," Paul said. Tiffany asked, "Bar? Hotel? Just to find the place, then we go kill some monsters? Make some money." Ezekiel said, "Yes. All of that." They walked down a road lined with massive trees that showered pink flowers with every gust of wind. The air was cool and filled with the sounds of a major city, with cows clopping down roads and groups of people walking this way and that.

It wasn't long till they came upon the aptly-named Hotel Street where every place was five stories tall and lit with wardlight signage." And there's the hotels!" Ezekiel said." Good." Tiffany said, "Let's go fight some monsters." The group turned right back around. On the way back to Teleport Square, Ezekiel wondered how close he was to being found out. Paul sent, ' They don't know who you are, and 'Clan Phoenix's name is currently flowing up the channels, but if we've tripped any protocols, I do not know them.

We are known to the local Mind Mage network because… Because we are. But they would never give away that sort of information.' Ezekiel smiled, sending, ' That's an awfully strong word, 'never'.'' Even if we are found out, the culture around here seems to leave powerful people alone, and the powerful people around here tend not to care about anyone aside from themselves.' Paul sent, ' It's all rather stratified. A lot more polite about it all, too.'' I wasn't expecting so much politeness, either.'

Ezekiel sent, ' I know you don't want to, but how do you feel about murdering some monsters and ripping out 'cores' for profit? Just a bit of that and then we can get to drinking, and possibly talking about your sister, if you want. I'm here to listen.'' I'm fine with hunting monsters.' Paul cracked a smile.' And… Thanks, Erick— I… Dammit.' Ezekiel gave no outward sign of mirth. Erick, though, was laughing.' I don't really want to talk about my sister, but I will go for those drinks.'' Fair enough.'

Ezekiel nodded, then looked over at the oddly-acting member of his party, asking, "Are you okay, Tiffany?" Tiffany cautiously whispered, "It's the eyes. They're all looking at me. I do not like this part of small-people cities." Ezekiel had already seen the problem. Yes; Tiffany was drawing a lot of looks.

But there was nothing to be done about that right now. Soon enough, they were back at the Teleport Square. Crossing the barrier into the white-tiled football-field sized space was like walking out of the rain. Everything felt nicer; less disruptive to his body and mind. His heartburn ceased. He smiled. Lightforms went out from Odin, and then Odin blipped them all out of the city, to the west, to a spot already scouted; a field in between two villages where there was nothing and no one.

In the distance, the Central Tribulation Mountains lifted up from the rising land like the very surface of the world had been broken and piled on top of itself. Sheer cliffs. Daunting peaks. Clouds caught upon stone, like ripped fabric. Greenery grew where it was able. There was a certain wild beauty about it all. Tiffany let out a massive sigh of relief, exclaiming to the much quieter world, "Fuuuuck! I forgot how awful cities are!"

Ezekiel smiled, saying, "We'll get you covered in unsightly blood and guts soon enough."" Eh…" Tiffany frowned.

"The point is to be less sexy. Not more." Laughter drifted on the breeze. As Tiffany said, "Maybe I need a veil, or something."