The Wandering Inn Book 7: Chapter 38

In the way of things, Selys Shivertail found she was bored.

Not just bored, like she got during a slow period working at the Adventurers Guild, back in the good old days when Liscor didnt have a single Gold-rank team, much less five. Or the bored you got from being stuck in bed with a fever.

Or even the bored that ca from doing sothing monotonous, like helping your grandmother, Tekshia Shivertail, sort beans by color. All those boredoms were, well, temporary. Not philosophical. But Selys new boredom was the worst of all.

It ca from having lots of money. And it was a slow, insidious thing.

At first, Selys bought whatever she wanted. Clothing. A new apartnt. Little artifacts. Then she realized that the amount of pleasure she derived from buying things was proportional to how much of her money shed spent.

A handbag or vial of perfu from Baleros shed saved for had been infinitely more valuable than the sa bag she could buy twenty of. Money devalued objects. On the other handit was still money. Selys could go to Pallass spa, rent a horse, eat wellthose were fun things to do.

The problem was that it didnt feel aningful. Selys, as a [Heiress], had money. She wanted to do sothing with said money. She confessed her problems to her friends and foundlittle sympathy.

Its just that I dont know what to do with all the gold, Erin. I could keep it with the rchants Guild orinvest it. I an, Im building an apartnt area.

Uh huh. Somake two of them?

Erin gave Selys a blank look as she poked a pot of boiling clams. The shells were mostly clean, but so scum was being boiled off. Erin poked at one, looking as disgusted as the clam was to be in each others presence.

I dont want to just be a landowner, Erin.

Okay. So do sothing else. I wish I had lots of gold. Can I get a loan?

No. Be serious, Erin.

The Drake watched a clam pop open. Erin was making clams; shed gotten them imported from the markets. Pallass imported all sorts of things, even seafood. As did Invrisil. But even so

Why are you making clams, Erin? They have to be extrely expensive.

Nah. They were a gift. Okay, so you have money and you need to spend it. What aboutaboutinvesting in a business?

You an, like the Golden Triangle?

Nohey, can you pass that plate?

Selys did. Erin took the clams out and put them on a plate. She eyed them and then reached for the knife at her waist.

Okay, the trick is to not cut off the fingers. I thought you went to that bigwig shindig with all the movers and shakers a bit ago?

Her Drake friend rubbed at one earhole.

I have no idea what you just said. If you an, Sir Relz invitationI didnt enjoy it. There was an auction, and they all wanted to, well, back their projects. You know, give money to their projects?

Invest. Why didnt you?

Wellit was just I was watching the auction. And there was this potion on sale. And umIm not that rich, Erin. That was a lot of money being thrown around.

The [Heiress] felt awkward admitting that. She had more money than she could have ever dread of saving and it was change compared to that auction. Hence her state of having too much and too little.

Erin wasunsympathetic. The [Innkeeper] glanced up.

Okay, but if you want to make more money, you invest in stuff. Or buy stocks, but we dont have them. Soew.

She stared at the halved clams and the insides. Selys looked dubiously at the clams.

Liscor doesnt eat clams, Erin. We do get water, but clams dont survive the spring and they cant migrate. You sure these are good to eat?

People eat clams. And oysters. Ive had them. OkayI think you just get so hot butter, which I have here, with garlic. Lets lever one out andew.

Both young won recoiled from the clam Erin pried out of the shell. Clams, to the uninitiated, had an uncanny resemblance to slugs, snails, and other mbers of the mollusk family.

Erin. Thats disgusting.

No its not. I think. Thisthis is a delicacy. Yum. Hold on.

Erin gingerly dipped the clam in a bit of the hot butter and nibbled at it. She brightened up.

Hm. The butter really helps, you know. I can work with this. Ill ask Lasica for a fancier clam-recipe. But this works. Hey Selys, want

The Drake had backed out of the kitchen by the ti Erin turned around with the tray in hand. Erin sighed.

Id still take an investnt in the inn!

She shouted after Selys. The Drake saw Erin leave the kitchen.

Hey! Anyone wanna try a clam with butter?

She waved one hand. People looked around. Mrsha ca racing out of the gardens door, took one look at the clams, and raced back the way shed co.

That was conversation one. But as Selys saw nolit, Bezalewho liked seafood, since it reminded her of hoMontressa, and a few others gather around to share thoughts, she did have a thought.

All of Erins bigwigs had indeed been into investing. They had cornered everything from Pallass spas to local agriculture, tradeSelys had been dismayed to see how fast theyd jumped on the opportunities in Liscor. They hadnt co to visit, but a number had bought space in Liscor for construction projects.

Even a certain Wall Lord in Salazsar had purchased land, which had led to a number of representatives flooding into Liscor from Salazsar, Manus, one from Fissival and Zeres

Liscor would have its elite class, even if a good number wouldnt ever visit the city. But that ant Selys wasnt on the ground floor by herself. Actually, her apartnt already had six floors thanks to Antinium labor and a lot of Human tenants. But while it was steadybuying a second area of land wasnt very tenable. It was long-term inco and Selys wanted sothing exciting.

She looked around The Wandering Inn, and then at Erin. The Drakes eyes narrowed. Wellso things were obvious. And if Erin had been serious

-

The Wandering Inn was hopping. And not just with the clientele. Lyonette had taken credit for, well, developing the inns actual inco source in clientele, both guests and regular diners. She had made great strides, even if there were complications.

BelgradePawnI dont know how to say this. But no. Please undo that.

The [Princess] rubbed at her forehead. Belgrade and Pawn looked crestfallen.

But Lyonette, the stables are done!

Belgrade pointed at the stables. Lyonette stared at it.

Yes. And itsgood. Butand I dont know how to say thisyou cant have a stables with two floors.

The two Antinium looked at her. Pawn raised one hand.

Why not?

Horses dont like heights. I realize you two wouldnt know this. Uhits not sothing I usually have to explain.

But there is even a ramp. See? Thus, twice as many horses can be stored due to vertical design. I ca up with it myself.

Yes, butno. Belgrade, please make it one floor only. We can store fodder on the second floor or use it for sothing else. But no second-floor stables.

It was amazing how the Antinium were both more efficient than any other species and simultaneously, more inept. Theyd sohow put up the frawork for the entire stables in a morning, before Lyonette had been able to see it. Belgrades antennae drooped.

Very well. But perhaps if we lifted the horses with

Thats not the problem, Belgrade. Excuse

Lyonette had just seen her second headache of the day. She waved at a group of [Porters] walking with a wagon up the hill. It was filled with sealed barrels, but the sll was still fishy.

Hello! Excuse this is bound for House Sanito, isnt it? Preserved fish? Not the front, please! We have an unloading area. Around back.

A Gnoll leading the group gave Lyonette a blank look.

House who? We were only told by the warehouse owner, Reira, to deliver this to the inn. And to collect our pay.

Lyonette groaned. She waved at the Gnoll, pointing.

Go around back! So of our workers will unload the wagons. And youre not being paid by us. Look, Ill give you a receipt! Reira will get her pay.

A receipt? She wont like that

The [Cargomaster] was dubious, but Lyonette convinced him to take his things around back. There, the Gnolls and Drakes t a new addition to the inns staff.

Put everything there. Yes, just in there. The Workers will take it from there.

The [Porters] eyed the Antinium Workers who were waiting for the barrels. Lyonette had, with permission and so help from Pawn, hired eighteen Workers. They werent Painted Antinium.

They were Birds crew, who had worked on the inn. Now, they were both construction and general labor. They rolled the barrels into the basent, through the loading ramp. anwhile, Lyonette took one of the receipts, noted down the details of the cargotonnes of fish for House Sanito, dated it, signed it, and gave one copy for the [Cargomaster].

Loading ramps. Receipts. This was the changing inn. Andironically, it wasnt all Erins fault.

The trade between Liscor and the other nobles houses was. Lyonette gestured at the Workers.

Move the door over to the basent and well roll a few barrels through and give it ti to recharge.

Yes, Miss Lyonette.

The Workers obediently walked into the inn and ca out carrying the magic door, much to the annoyance of people wanting to visit Esthelm, or Celum, orLyonette went over to reassure them, then communicate with House Sanito.

Excuse . We have about two thousand and two hundred pounds of preserved fish. We have your deliverydo you have paynt for the food?

The [Princess] opened the door to House Sanito. The woman standing on the other side gave her an open-mouthed response.

A-already? But we ordered that just an hour ago!

Lyonette gave the woman a strange look.

Yes. It just needed to co up from the warehouses. We can probably give you four hundred pounds worth at a ti. But Id like to collect the paynt as well, if thats alright.

Um, excuse , Miss. Dear

Belatedly, Lyonette realized shed been speaking to Lady Edere Sanito. The woman hurried off, very flustered, and Lyonette reflected that they had better move the door; she doubted Lady Sanito wanted barrels of slly fish rolled through her carpeted hallways.

Oh, so busy. Lyonette got a few barrels through as Lord Sanito hurried out to see the cheap food hed bought with his own eyes. The rest stayed in the basent until they could be shipped out via doorthe inn was part warehouse now, given Erins new Skills and the Antinium expanding the already-large area.

It was all money to Lyonette. Money she would reinvest and use in the na of The Wandering Inn. Shed nearly paid off her fine from Zevara with her own inco; she could have done it easily with the money from the inn, but that wasnt hers. This money would make more projects possible. It had already opened doors and curried favorliterally.

Hey Lyonette, wanna clam?

Erin offered Lyonette the clams shed received from another of the noble houses. Lord Toldos of House Everight had so coastal holdings. Hed sent the clams to Erin as thanks for her getting him so much-needed tools, cheap from Esthelm.

House Everight did border the sea, but since his lands were on the eastern side of Izril, it wasnt part of the Baleros-Chandrar-Terandria circuit that [rchants] liked to get to. Hither to this point, Lord Toldos had relied on Invrisil for trade.

All this to say that when Selys found Lyonette, chewing on a clam and remarking that it was lackingeverythingin terms of actual seasoning or preparation to Erin, the [Princess] should have jumped at the suggestion that Selys invest in the inn.

Ooh. You an it, Selys? I told you I was serious. Lyonettewe could build a park. Or the water slide! Huh? Huh?

The [Princess] blinked at the Drake [Heiress].

You want to give money to the inn for a share of the profits?

Yeah. Or sothing. Erin says you could use the gold.

The Terandrian [Princess] thought about this. She looked at Selysthen she laughed.

Hah. No. Never.

Erin and Selys were both surprised. They shouldnt have been. The Wandering Inn was like a castle to Lyonette; it was certainly built of stone as well as wood and modeled after Terandrian designs. And no self-respecting [Princess] went in for [rchants] buying shares of their kingdom.

We can fund everything within reason on the inns inco alone, Erin. If Selys had ten tis as much gold as she doesor a hundred tiswed talk. Now, if youll excuse I have to get soone to deliver this gold. Ishkr!

The [Princess] shouted for Ishkr by reflex. The Gnoll, who was masterminding the kitchen and common room of the inn, looked up.

Im busy. Send Welle.

Lyonette stopped as he gestured to a Drake [Server]. She hesitated, and then nodded.

Everything changed. Ishkr was a [Head Waiter] and Lyonettes second-in-command since Drassi was now moonlighting as the announcer for Wistram TV. Drassi still did the night-shift as [Bartender], but Ishkr had won the coveted position in the bloodless, not-very-contentious war behind the scenes.

Welle went for delivery instead of Ishkr. And Selys realized she was no better than when shed started. She went looking for more advice in regards to spending her money.

-

Shed just reached Liscor to talk with her grandmother, when an unwelco perspective strode over to her.

Hey Selys! Hows my favorite girl with scales?

Hawk appeared next to Selys so fast she didnt see him. As always, the Courier moved like lightning. The [Heiress] turned her headand scowled.

Hawk. I thought you were working!

I was. But I had to find you. Soone just got attacked! In the streets! And I knew you were around the inn, so I had to check on the love of my life.

Hawk gave Selys a deep look of caring. Selys propped her claws on her hips.

Attacked? By what? A monster?

Nope. So thug. Looked low-level. Just grabbed the poor kids moneybag and ran. Gave him a blow; hes alright. The Watch is already on it.

Selys peered at the crowd clustered around the Watch officer taking a description from the dazed

Oh no. Welle?

The Drake had gotten to Liscor just before Selys. And the unlucky young man had been got. Hawk blinked.

You know him?

Yes! Erin is going to throw a fit. Id better let her know. Waitif you saw what happened, why didnt you do anything?

The Drake rounded on Hawk as she reached for the door. The Courier raised his hands.

Whoa! Selys! You know Im a Courier. I cant get involved in beating up criminals. Theres professionalism of my class to consider. I know youre used toRyoka and other Runners, but I dont make enemies. If Id known Welle was Erins friend, Id have stopped the mugger, but

Ugh. That is just so like you, Hawk! You could have saved Welle, but you stand back because you wont do anything. Erin would, and shes not even a fighter! Or P

Selys stopped. But Hawks ears had already twitched. He folded his muscular arms.

Go on, say it.

I wasnt going to say anything.

Yes you were. You said P. You an, Pisces.

Or Ceria, or Yvlon or

Its always Pisces this, Pisces can do that. Im sorry I dont animate the dead, Selys.

Its not just that! You didnt even do Erins delivery!

Yeah? Well, you seem to take every opportunity to complain about being with . Is it just or do I think thats unfaithful?

The Drake gasped in outrage. The mont of reflection that Hawk might be correct turned into fury.

Unfaithful? Weve been seeing each other for less than a month! I thought it was casual, but youre always like this! You know what? If thats how you feelwere done.

What? Selyswait

Hawks angry face turned into one of shock, then astonished hurt. He tried to pursue Selys. anwhile, Welle, forgotten, groaned as he tried to give a description of the attackerso Humanto the [Guardswoman].

Which, to be fair, was a bit more important at that mont in ti. He had been mugged. The [Guardswoman] was taking it seriously too. Mainly because she had a good idea of what was about to happen next.

-

Soone mugged Welle? Numbtongue! Bird! Palt! Lets go!

Erin grabbed a frying pan. Lyonette grabbed her and dragged her back.

Oh no you dont, Erin. I told youyou cant overturn the city every ti!

But Welle!

Hes got a bump on his head. If you explode a building or cause another fight, Zevara will eat you. Not to ntion, its dangerous. It just takes one idiot with a knife.

Erin hesitated. She lowered the frying pan and the [Guardswoman] relaxed.

This is just a standard mugging, Miss Solstice. Looked like it was unplanned too, so the criminals probably not got a hiding place planned. Rest assured, well get him. With Mr. Soot gone, the underworld is in chaos. Our Gnolls are on his scent already.

Butokay. As long as Relc and Klbkchoh. I an, Relc gets on it! Tell him Ill give him free dinner if he gets the money back tonight!

The [Innkeeper] saw the [Guardswoman]s face change at Relcs na. Erin stopped.

What?

Guardsman Relcwas reassigned to another city, Miss Solstice. A week ago.

Huh?

The young woman and Lyonette both turned to look at each other. The Drake [Guardswoman] hesitated. She sensedtoo latethe equivalent of a [Dangersense] going off in her head.

I thought you knew. Erhe was reassigned after the Golden Triangle incident. I heard his apartnt was burned down.

He never told that. Wheres he been living? Id have let him stay at the inn for free! For a while, at least.

Erin looked around, shocked. She saw the [Guardswoman] slowly step back. Erins head snapped around.

Where is Relc?

ErI have to get back to duty, Miss

Where. Is. Relc?

There was no helping it. The [Guardswoman] stepped backwards, towards the magic door. She opened it, blurted the answer, and slamd the door.

He already left, Miss Solstice.

For a minute, Erin just looked at the wood door.

But he didnt tell . He should have

Her emotions flickered between shock, hurt, sadnessand then Erin looked at the door. This ti Lyonette didnt try and stop her.

-

You know Im always happy to takedonations to the Watch, Selys. But frankly, its not sothing you can invest in.

Zevara played awkwardly with a quill as Selys sat in her office a little bit later. The [Heiress] sniffed. After a second, Zevara offered her handkerchief.

Here. Er, Selys, if you need ti

Ib fine.

The Drake was crying. She and Hawk were officially quits. But it had not been an amicable breakup. Shed thought it wouldnt affect her, but Hawk had said so pointedlyaccuratethings. And shed done likewise and the end result was that the Courier had gone to Pallass to drown his sorrows at Tails and Scales.

And Selys was here. The Drake wiped at her eyes as Zevara coughed and shuffled her papers.

Its just so hard. What am I supposed to do, Zevara?

Enjoy your life?

Oh, as if I could just do that! I want to have a purpose! I cant justjust

Selys blew her nose, which was really her nostrils. With Zevaras handkerchief. The Watch Captain opened her mouth and closed it slowly. She decided not to press Selys for an upgrade to the jail, which the Watch needed. Oh, and they wanted to build so actual watch towers outside of Liscor. And there was the enchanted arms budgetZevara was calling in and buying favors, but

Maybe its not Liscor, Selys. Pallass has more toinvest in than we do, frankly.

But everything in Pallass is taken!

The younger Drakes tears were slowing, proof that her breakup hadnt been the most shattering thing ever. Zevara shrugged.

Pallass, Esthelm, CelumSelys, think outside Liscor. I know Im a traitor to my city for saying that, but franklyLiscors economy was never huge. It was based on our army. Still is. Were transitioning out of it, but until then

She coughed.

Sorry. Listening to Olesms lectures to the Council. Theyre working on it.

Selys was nodding. She stood up.

Thanks, Zevara. Ill wash this

Dont worry. Its fine. Just

The two Drakes were arranging for an after-work dinner together sowhere, maybe with Krshia or Drassi. Zevara had been talked into it and she had to admit it was nicer than her work-eat-sleep schedule that had been her life before this. That was whenit happened.

Watch Captain! Its the Solstice-alarm!

Zevara heard a shout from below. She looked up. So did Selys.

The Solstice alarm?

Where? And how bad?

Zevara bellowed as she reached for her sword. The voice ca, urgently.

Look out the window.

Selys and Zevara turned.

In the street outside the Watch House, a young woman stood in the street. A Hobgoblin stood behind her. Already cause for alarm. There was Bird, Palt, looking exasperatedand a crowd. Of course.

Erin had a frying pan. With her other hand she made a fist. She shouted at the barracks.

Give us back our Relc! Give us back our Relc!

The crowd murmured. Rumors spread like wildfire. The Watch had kidnapped Relc? Notheyd exiled Relc? Or was he in prison?

Selys slowly put her face in her claws. Zevara stared out the window at Erin.

Even when hes gone, heAncestors damn it.

She strode from her office before Erin could set fire to half the city. So idiots had actually picked up her chant. Thenthe Watch Captain hurried back into her office for a mont. Selys saw her go to a little ringed calendar. The hand-written note on top said

Days Since Crazy Human Incident: 8.

Zevara gloomily reset it to zero. Then she stalked out of the office again. But the funny thing was that things changed even here. Selys watched as Erin Solstice waved her fist and shouted. Zevara appeared in the street, flanked by a few [Guards]but far too few for the crowd. She pointed as Erin ran towards her.

[Freeze, Criminal].

Erin fell flat on her face as her body locked up. Zevara looked happier than Selys had seen her all week. The forr [Receptionist] decided to take her advice and visit another city.

-

Well, where to? Really, there was only one option. Celum was a wreck. Esthelm was still a tiny mining town. And Invrisil had Magnolia Reinhart, who was not inclined to like Erin Solstice or her friends at the mont. Selys didnt know these other nobles lands and she didnt really want to deal with them.

So, your logic is that because you dont want to invest in a city literally rebuilding itself, or one of the most populated Human cities in all of Izril, or explore new areas, you ca to Pallass.

Dont say it like that. Im not good at business! I was a [Receptionist]!

Ineptitude must be contagious. You know, Erin asked how to make clam-based dishes via [ssage] spell?

Lasica shook her head.

Just ask soone or buy a cookbook. What am I, her personal teacher?

Even so, shed co to The Wandering Inn, or rather, Selys had t her in the street. Now the [Chef] gave Selys a long look, not missing the telltale signs of crying.

And I suppose youre the reason theres now a drunk Rabbit Beastman in our bar at midday?

Um

Selys flushed. Lasica shook her head.

Just dont go to the bar, alright? By all ans, ask if anyone wants you to invest. Hah, good luck though. You do realize that if youve heard of a good idea, soones already invested in it? Thats why you find new things.

But this is the City of Invention. New things

Our [Engineers], [Alchemists], and [Blacksmiths] are loyal to Pallass and their investors, Selys. I have to go. I want so of those fresh clams.

Lasica left and Selys sighed. It was true. New things could be likeOctavias shop. But guess who had Octavia acting as her [Alchemist]? Erin. In a way, Erin had already invested in the good things.

She had a Hobgoblin who mined precious stones for fun, a Stitch-girl [Alchemist] who made dicine and matchesAntinium builders and Wistram [Mages]! Erin had a lot of talent at her disposal.

Selys just had money.

Maybe Ill just buy slaves or sothing.

The Drake muttered. That was a joke Erin would not have appreciated. Selys had never actually seen slaves. They were obviously banned in LiscorSelys assud. She wasnt sure about other cities.

She walked along, wondering if that [Sharpener] that Erin had ntionedLorent?wanted to upgrade his business. How did you do anything? Give them money and get like, ten percent of their earnings? That was all long-term stuff. No, you wanted soone to have sothing you could sell now.

If she had lots of money, shed literally hire an adventuring team to hunt down the other parts of the Heartfla set. Which she was sort of doing. Or maybe finance a [rchant] to buy and sell goods?

None of that really appealed to her. Who would you trust, anyways? Trust was what mattered.

Maybe Numbtongue wants to be financed to mine for treasure?

Selys made a fist and smacked it into her palm. That was an idea! The Hobgoblin might actually go for that. Not that gemstones were as valuable as Selys would want given Salazsar

She sighed. Selys was about to go for a dip into the spaPallass spas, now, those were amazing. They had magically infused waters, personal masseuses, experts at scale, fur, or feather or armor care who could tend to you.

Maybe Ill make a spa on my land. Beat out the public bathhouses

Dreamily, the Drake imagined that. But only in that way you had of daydreaming, not connecting it with the actual money she had that could make the project happen. She wasnt super passionate about that anyways

It was as Selys was walking through Pallass when she heard a familiar voice. Not Magus Grimalkin, as it turned out, who was heading towards the inn but casually ignored Selys since she wasnt germane to his plans. Or Jelaqua or Maughin, who were on a date, but also avoided Selys on the basis that she was connected to Erin and they just wanted a quiet ti to themselves.

Nothis voice was female, brisk, familiar. Selys head turned.

They are cracking down, Mirn. I dont know who put an ember under Chaldions tailI dont think its him. Its just after the riots

A Drake was stalking through the crowd with her friend. She stood out with rose and cobalt scalesbright, vibrant. Her companion looked much rougher. He had a scar across his mouth, and he looked like, well, a criminal.

But Onieva seed exactly as Selys rembered her, out of place among the rich elites of Pallass. Nowthe Drake was clearly in a bad mood. Onievas tail was clearing a path as she walked through the crowd with how much it was lashing. Drakes were like that. Selys hesitatedand then raised her claw and called out.

Onieva! Hey, Onieva!

The two Drakes started. The effect on Mirn was imdiate. He whirled around and confronted Selys as she strode over.

Hey. I dont know what you want with Onieva, but get lost, Miss. Shes busy.

I just

Selys?

Onieva blinked as she recognized the [Heiress]. She pulled back Mirn, who was poised to chase Selys off.

Hold on, Mirn. Selys isan acquaintance.

Oh. You sure, Onieva?

Mirn looked Selys up and down. His eyes, far from friendly, focused on Selys and then sothing else. Not past her, precisely. He gave Onieva a look.

Well, shes all yours. Nothing to do with either way. Take her or leave her, Onieva. But dont bring her with you when you find . I have tofind sowhere.

With that he stalked off. Selys stared at Onievas rude friend, wondering what that was all about. Onieva shouted after Mirn.

Stay classy, Mirn!

Shove it up your tailhole, Onieva!

The Drake shouted back. A number of people glared after Mirn. Onieva, used to the phenonon, beckoned Selys over.

Off to another fancy party?

She gave Selys a smile that instantly managed to be needling. The [Heiress] glowered.

Hardly. You were right. I dont care for parties. Orthat kind of society. I dont fit in.

You looked like you were doing okay. But fine.

Onieva raised her claws as Selys glared. The Drake woman grinned.

Whats up? Its rare you caught ; Im usually inside.

You dont go out much?

Eh, Im not a society person. Im just the black sheep of the family. The [Layabout]. Thats even my class. But as long as Saliss and Chaldion pay for

She winked. Selys grinned.

I wish I had that problem. Actually

It didnt take her long to explain her woes to Onieva, who promptly laughed at her.

You have too much money and thats your problem? Give it to and Ill make that go away. Its great thats your one problem in the entire world.

I didnt an it like that. I know other people have bigger problems. But this one is mine. If youre going to be a Lizard, leave alone.

Selys swatted at Onieva, but the Drake leaned out of the way nimbly. She was quick on her feet!

Poor you. But fine. I guess it beats my problem.

Oh? What was that? Sothing about places?

Onieva hesitated and waved it off.

Thatthat was for Mirn. You know how it is.

He didnt seem to like .

Selys glared in the way Mirn had gone. Rude Drake. No wonder Onieva liked him. The [Layabout] looked amused.

Mirn just didnt think he had anything in common with you. And hes almost always right. Mirn gravitates towards people he needs to protect.

And Im not one of them? Well, thanks for that.

Selys felt at her high-power wand. Onieva laughed, but nodded along.

If hes rude to you, thats Mirn.

Dont you an, sorry, thats just Mirn?

Nope. Thats Mirn. Its not my problem. Anywayshe actually runs a bar.

Really? Him?

Then again, Selys had t so rude bartenders and she could just imagine Mirn operating one with [Toughs] and so on in the crowd. She scowled and kicked along the ground. And Onieva

-

Looked at Selys. Unlike Mirn, Onieva wasnt only interested in people she needed to protect. And unlike Mirn, she did feel for Selys. The Drake was clearly unused to the things that Saliss had lived through. Sudden fa, wealth, power

But more than that, Onieva was curious about Selys. For two reasons. The first was that she and Mirn had been looking for a safe place to establish his bar.

A literal safe place where so [Guard] wouldnt kick down the door, arrest anyone they caught, and have everyone inside exiled or put to death. That was hard.

The riots had put the Watch on full-alert and they tended to go after the criminals and deviants when they were mad. One got lumped with the other, to mutual disgust, generally. Which made finding a good spot harder and harder.

They couldnt use Saliss laboratory. Safety and all that. And neither could they go outside the city. It had to be convenient, easy

Strange. Onieva tilted her head left and right, chasing a thought. It had always been too bad that Rufelt and Lasica werent at ho with their people, or so Onieva had believed. She hadnt decided to risk it. But it occurred to her there was another fortress of a building she had never considered.

But that damned checkpoint. Stillsafety in numbers.

What was that?

Selys looked up. Onieva grinned at her. And she decided Selys was a good test. Shed have towell, Erin was another and more important. But Selys interested her for another reason.

A personal one. So Onieva glanced at Selys and coughed.

Nothing. Say, you are Selys Shivertail, right? How well did you know yourI want to say, uncle? Zel Shivertail? I actually t him a few tis.

Onieva saw Selys freeze. The Drake looked up, and Onieva felt guilty because Selys expression had gone bleak for a mont.

You did? I an, I know UncleGeneral Shivertailvisited Pallass a lot. He used to tell stories of all the Walled Cities.

The female Drake laughed at Selys.

Yes, he visited. And of course I t him. Im Saliss of Light

She froze. What a slip!

s cousin! I badgered him all the ti to introduce . I talked with Zel. He was a good person. ActuallyMirn t him too.

No.

Yup. They got along.

No.

Selys frowned, disbelieving. And it was true, Mirn hadnt t Zel Shivertail, but the Drake who had taken over the underground eting place before him had. She was fairly certain Selys wasnt using lie-detection Skills or magic. The story was true enough anyways.

If only you knew.

Onieva wanted to reintroduce Mirn and remind him this was Shivertails niece. Well, that might be a disaster of another kind. But yesZel Shivertail had known more of the Walled Cities than most Drakes. Including their community. It was one of the reasons why they shunned him.

But now, here was the question. How much had he told his niece? Zel had even ntioned to Onieva that his only good relatives lived in Liscor. SoOnieva pressed Selys.

He was a good Drake. I was devastated to hear his passing.

Yes. I an, thank you. Ithe Heartfla Breastplate ca from him. I didnt expect that. But I always liked it when he was able to visit.

Selys was far away. Onieva hated to do it. ButAncestors take it.

Still. He wasnt perfect. He had his flaws.

She saw Selys shoulders hunch. Onievas eyes locked on Selys, her tail, her face, the way she stood

Oh yes. You knew.

Zel Shivertails secret had been the most open secret of any Drake in Izril. In high society, theyd known. Only the Tidebreaker could be tolerated. How could his family have not known?

What mattered was how Selys reacted. The Drake inhaled and kept her face calm.

-

What did Onieva an? Noshe had to an sothing else. Selys chose her words carefully. She rembered digging up Sserys grave in the darkness, the urn

No, that was sothing she would never talk about. Never think about, really. She had fulfilled her beloved Uncles wishes. Selys nodded, but stiffly. She looked at Onieva, and felt a flash of irritation enter her voice.

He wasnt perfect. But he was still General Shivertail. The Tidebreaker.

Of course. I didnt an to say

Thats all there was to it, right? No need to talk about his flaws.

But he was more than a [General].

Selys felt her insides twist. She glared.

Maybe he was. But I knew him. How well did you know him?

Onieva hesitated, and then lifted her claw.

Never mind.

What did that an? Selys cald down. Onieva frowned. The word hung between them, unspoken, though neither knew the other was thinking it.

Turnscale.

If only you could be sure. But Onieva had not lived this long by taking risks. The two walked on, and conversation resud stiffly, and then with natural grace.

Onieva followed Selys to The Wandering Inn.

-

Erin was still being lectured by the ti the two Drakes walked in. Onieva sized up the inn and looked around.

Oh, but it would be perfect.

Erins not looking for a [Bartender]. Well, she might be with Drassi gone, but I doubt your friend Mirn could take Drassis place.

Ill let him apply. Hes a one-Drake show, anyways. Hm.

Private rooms. BasentOnieva frowned as she heard scraping sounds. She left Selys to rember, belatedly, that shed been going looking for investnts, not walking about with Onieva! As the Drake groaned and headed over to Numbtonguewho wasnt interested in her offer, and Mrsha the Adventurous, who wasOnieva peeked downstairs.

Ancestors damn it!

The Workers looked up at the barrels of fish that were being rolled through the door. Onieva snapped her claws and closed the door.

Well, I can always get a deeper basent. Or

It wasnt about space. They could settle in a place twice as large as a bedroom. They had before. It was safety.

And The Wandering Inncould be quite safe. Not, perhaps, from monsters, but those werent the kind of enemies Onieva worried about. But how did she test Erin?

As Onieva walked back to the common room, she saw the usual bustle around the room. She tried to rember that she didnt know anyone here; dead gods, but shed have to reintroduce herself to Erin as Saliss cousin. She hated that. It was always the sa introduction and dance

How to do it? As Onieva pondered, trying to figure out how to test Erin without alerting anyone elseand that was a tall order because Erin could be very oblivious, on purpose or accidentallyshe heard a voice from the stage.

Rose! Help brainstorm plays, will you?

Galina was there, with the Players of Celum whom she had been drawn to like iron to a magnet. The theatre-girl from Earth was happy as could be.

By contrast, Rose was a bit of a Kevin in that she was aimless, but satisfied being aimless. Joseph was soccer-guy much to his displeasure, and Leon and Troy were a team who did their own thing. Imani practically ruled the kitchen when Erin wasnt doing sothing in it; shed even learned to deal with Mrsha, mainly by offering the Gnoll treats to leave her alone.

But Kevin and Rose were amiable helpers. Kevin was especially amiable at the mont, thanks to Palt.

In one corner of the inn, Grimalkin was waiting for Erin too. Waiting to confirm his theories of ti travel. But all that was beside the point. Galina had a problem.

There are a few plays were adapting to the stage, Rose. But a lot of them dont work. You know more than the others. Brainstorm with ?

Sure. What plays are you guys making?

Galina had a list. All of Erins, plus the new ones shed suggested. So, like Chicago, needed adaptation, but theyd been hits among the Players and both Liscor and Invrisils groups were trying them out and adapting them.

The problem was that Galina had yet to get Erins recall ability. Mainly because Galina wanted to act, not just produce.

If only I could rember everything like Erin. Okay. There are so like Angels in Arica that just dont work. You know? Way too much ofeverything from ho.

Rose was nodding. It was true; a lot beca too topical. Stuff like Long Days Journey into Night workedthat was about the Human condition, more than the era, which was really the condition of people everywherealthough there were interesting differences.

Well, there are a lot of movies that do work. Titanicuh, Hunchback of Notre Da

Not just Disney, Rose, or blockbusters. I want to bring sothing new! Fresh!

Okay. Heres a play. Have you seen Rent, the musical?

Galina had. Her eyes flickered, but she frowned.

Rose. Thats Broadway, though. Not exactly the Bard of Avon. Alsonot my favorite play.

Hey, I liked it. You wanted help

The young woman rose to go, huffily, and Galina dragged her back.

No, Im sorry! Its just that weve used our rotation of plays and the Players want to do sothing fast.

Rose glanced at the [Actors] on stage. They were set to do Juliet and Roo tonight, or so it said on the placard next to the stage. And the audience, while it was there, wasnt as large because a lot of people had seen the play already. Or five tis.

Rose smiled at the Juliet and Roo title, though. She had laughed every ti shed seen it for the first week at how Erin had flipped just the na. And that gave her an idea.

WellI do have one idea, Galina. Rember how Jasi pushed for Lady Macbeth and how you rewrote so of the plays for a female lead?

Yes, but before you start, theyre doing that with a lot of plays already.

Galina held up a hand. It wasnt like the Players of Celum werent also willing to innovate. Rose grinned.

But what if we put on a play that catered to a wider base? Listen

She walked over to Temile, who turned to her, always willing to listen to Erin or her group. The [Actor] didnt know what they shared aside from a place of origin, but he knew that he knew and was fine with that.

Background. Onieva was looking about, waiting for Erin when she saw two [Actors] upon the stage. They were performing the famous and most oft-quoted scene of Shakespeare to the plebeians.

O Roo, Roo, wherefore art thou Roo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy na.

Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love

And Ill no longer be a Capulet.

It was the sa lines. The sa play. For a mont, you couldnt even tell what Rose had changed about it. There were two Drakes, not, scandalously, a Drake and a Gnoll, or a Drake and a Human. Especially a male, Human Roo and a female Drake Juliet, as Erin had learned once.

But then Onievas head turned. And sothing ran through the inn. A few casual watchers looked up. Frowned. Blinked a few tis.

It was a mark of how Rose and Galina had entered this world and been sheltered that they thought it was a good idea. And, perhaps, how plays were seen by the [Actors]. It was, in the end, a small change.

However, the Drake Juliet speaking to the Drake Rooboth of them, in fact, were male.

What is this, Rose? Galina?

Temile was staring nervously at the two leads of the play. So were the other [Actors]. Rose was smiling, oblivious to the attention drawing to the stage.

I told you, Temile, just roll with it!

But

Well have two male actors. Itll be a hit, trust ! I havent found the GSM crowd yet in Liscor, but I havent had the chance yet. We can change the script, like Lady Macbeth. Hows this? Well call it: Roo and Roo. Or Juliet and Juliet!

Rose spread out her hands, smiling hugely. Temile looked at her. He stared at the two leads. The pieces fell together.

You antwo male leads. Falling in love with each other.

His voice was a bit too loud. Or perhaps he hadnt realized that the inn had gone silent. Rose didnt see the two [Actors] had frozen on stage, in the spotlight of every eye.

Why not? Its a true story! Its

Disgusting!

Soone shouted the word and Onieva started breathing again. She stared at the stage.

What followed was just ringing in her ears. The Drake [Alchemist] sat there, staring at the two [Actors] whod hurried off-stage. Rose must have been convincing or they didnt understand what she was suggesting. And she of course didnt know.

She was arguing with the Drakes and City Gnolls and Humans whod stord to the front of the stage to protest thisthis disgusting, deviant display. Onieva didnt need to hear that. She had heard it a thousand tis.

What she saw, in her mind, were the two actors, one professing his love for the other. It was just a play. But Rose had co up with it. And Onieva

Looked at her.

Its fine. Youre being disgusting. Has no one heard ofhas no one heard of LGBT rights? Gay rights? This is insane. This is

Rose looked around. And her outrage faded when she realized rather than a minority confronting a majority, she stood alone. Galina was looking around, wide-eyed.

We have a word for that. Turnscales. Alsoillegal. Miss Solstice will hear of this! Apologize to those [Actors]!

The Drake who was so offended was actually offended on behalf of Temiles Drake [Actors]. She was pointing as Rose confronted her.

Apologize for what? I didnt assu anything! That was four lines! Its a play. You knowwhats Turnscale? Does it an gay? You know, its okay for a man to love a man. Or a woman to love a woman! Or both! Back ho

That was as far as Rose got. The Drake woman listening recoiled. Then her eyes narrowed. She raised a fist and struck Rose. The young woman hadnt been expecting that and stumbled backwards with a shriek. She would have been struck again, by the Drake woman or soone else.

Onieva knew this. And she had a cup in her claws. And in her clawsit was a deadly weapon. Grimalkin was watching, half-risen, unsure. The inns staff was pushing forwards. But Onieva would have protected Rose and damn the consequences. She was poised to take out the entire crowd.

ThenErin stomped her foot.

Hey!

The shout knocked the crowd flat. Literally. Onieva almost saw the aura flash across the inn. Maviolas training hadnt been for nothing. Erin Solstice strode forwards.

Whos attacking Rose? Ill attack you! Im in the mood to punch soone and its not !

She was angry. The [Innkeeper] was furious. She also had two tissues stuffed up her nose from where shed gotten a nosebleed when Zevara had used her Skill on her. The bleeding had stopped with a healing potion, but Erin was still peeved.

Erin! Oh my god

Rose fled behind her, face white. The crowd began babbling, pointing at the stage, furiousErin shouted.

Shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuup!

And there was silence. Well, a few kept talking.

most disgusting display Ive ever seen. I was defending

Erin strode over to the Drake woman. This ti she took a page out of Birds book. She opened her mouth, inhaled, and scread.

Aaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaah! Shut up! Shut up!

The Drake womanshut up. Erin looked around, ready to scream everyone elses ears off. She looked at Rose.

Okay. What is this about? Its just a play! What made you all so mad?

She was making the [Actors] act like Turnscales!

A voice bellowed, despite Erins aura weighing everyone down. Erins brow furrowed.

Like what?

Likeit was two n, playing Roo and Juliet, Erin. Theyre mad becauseoh god.

Rose stared around the room, afraid. Erin gave her a puzzled look.

So what? Oh. Oh.

Her eyes widened and she lowered her voice.

You an they were gay?

The young woman nodded slowly. And now she was watching Erins face. Onieva was listening, invisible in the crowd.

Erin, these people dont know about homosexuality at all. I anthey do, but they dont. Theyre intolerant!

A rumble ran through the room. Erin lifted a hand. She tugged Rose out of the crowd, and the twos voices continued, as Lyonette began to disperse the crowd with help. But a few people were listening, including an [Alchemist] who had potions to enhance hearing.

Oh. I get it. They dont likewell, thats wrong. Everyone deserves equal rights, right?

Yes!

Rose almost fainted with relief. She clutched at Erins arm.

No one knows about LGBTQ rights. Thats why I havent t anyone! This entire world isis in the dark ages!

Erin was nodding, but her brow furrowed.

Wait, whats that last bit? LGBTQ? Whats the Q?

Queer? LikeGSM? DSG?

Rose gave Erin a look. She was naming acronyms. Erin gave her a very blank stare.

Whats that?

Gender Sexual Minorities?

Umis that a movent? I an, Im all for gay marriage. I think I t soone who was gay once. They said so, which was my big clue. But I dont keep up on or know about, about

The [Innkeeper] waved her hands to indicate everything and anything. Rose hesitated.

Oh. Well

Rose was looking at Erin. Looking around the room, at Galina, who was glancing at her, a few others. And realizingeverything.

She was not the only one. Selys was standing uncomfortably, not exactly nodding to the mutters, but definitely not painting herself as a target. She saw Onieva walk over.

The Drake was wide-eyed. Even quivering a bit. And Selys interpreted it the wrong way. Or the right way? Not as Onieva was actually feeling, anyways.

Oh. Onieva, are you going?

Onieva jumped.

Yes. Yes, Iwhos that Human, Selys? The one with Erin?

Rose. Look, Onieva

Selys trailed off. What did she say? And before she could co up with sothing, Onieva was gone. To Pallass. Onievas mind was racing.

If you were smart, you picked up on more than just what Roses beliefs were.

Back ho. Andshe spoke so knowledgably. Onieva had to know more.

It could be a trap. It could be dangerous. Shed approach this with all the caution in mind. There had been traps before and she could not get caught. But

Mirn had to know. They had to know.

Onieva looked back at Rose, just once. The way Rose looked around with horror, as if seeing sothing clinging to this entire world that terrified her. With fear, too. For herself. And at Erins confused face.

It told her a lot.

-

Grimalkin of Pallass had notes. He had lots of notes. He also, incidentally, was the [Sinew Magus] of Pallass. He had fought in wars. He had travelled the world.

He took lots of notes because he was a [Magus] and a scholar and he believed in gathering evidence, proving theories. He did not act incautiously.

But he was also a warrior. So he acted.

Hey Grimalkin. That was sothing, huh?

It had taken an hour for Erin to restore order, and shed kicked out half a dozen people. More had left of their own volition, swearing to boycott the inn. Most didnt want to talk about it.

Grimalkin did too, but it was alesser consideration. He needed to know more.

It has been an eventful year so far, hasnt it, Miss Solstice? Will you sit for a mont?

The Drake pulled out a seat. Erin hesitated. She suspected a trap and she was right. But Grimalkin was an ally, and a friend of sorts.

She sat. And the showdown comnced.

A note-taking Grimalkin appeared in front of Erin. He had a hypothesis. And he used it in one move. The Drake leaned back in his chair, looking pensive.

You know, as Ive made so many breakthroughs in my studies, I cant help but think of the future.

Thefuture?

Erin blinked. The Drake nodded as he gestured around.

What might the world look like in a thousand years ti? Ten thousand? Will there be a world? How might weight training have evolved? Perhapsagriculture, architecture, magicone does wonder. But theres no way to know, after all, is there?

Y-yeah.

Erin tried to dodge the questionand failed. True, it was for reasons perpendicular to the ones Grimalkin suspected. But he saw it.

The Drakes face was smooth.

You know, Miss Solstice, that unpleasantness with Miss Rose

Shes from elsewhere. Erfar away. I cant say where.

Erin was sweating. Shed walked into a trap! Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape rope. But Grimalkin didnt press her on the weak point. But that was only to keep her off-guard.

Oh, naturally. But there are, after all, different nations with different sensibilities. Selphids dont care. And of courseyou two do have your different perspectives.

Yeah?

Grimalkin had cast [Silence], so he said this next part smoothly.

I couldnt help but overhear a bit. Perhaps the issue ofTurnscales in society is not so contentious. rely Drake culture. We must seem sobackwards to other people. Even, perhaps, left behind in ti?

Another wince. The Magus sighed. Erin was close to fainting. Or running away. Or hyperventilating. She looked around. She had to

Aha! Kevin! My guy! Switch with , would you? Sorry, Grimalkin! Ive gotta get back to work!

Erin used Kevin, shoving him into the seat. It was super-effective! At least, in slowing Grimalkin down. But shed just exposed her weak points.

The [Sinew Magus] looked at Kevin and he tried the sa trick.

Dont you feel as though yourelost in ti sotis?

Erin froze mid-step. Kevin blinked at Grimalkin. He was unguarded. Erin had to warn them all! She spunand Kevin nodded.

All the ti, man. I anwhat is ti? Ti. Is it a river or a whirlpool or is it

He trailed off. Grimalkin stared at him. Kevins unfocused gaze ca back to reality.

Ti? You know, if it goes backwards, does it go up or down? Those are the real questions.

Er. Yes. [Chronomancers] do exist and theyve postulatedI an, what?

Sotis I wonderyou know, the word? So tis. Thats an interesting word when you think about it. So of the tis. Which is what it ans. But what aboutalltis? But thats not one word, right? But it should be.

The [Sinew Magus] mouth opened and closed as he ran straight into the most logical wall of illogic hed ever heard. He peered at Kevin, and then he and Erin both slled the distinct scent in the air.

Dreamleaf.

The Drake sighed, disgusted. Erin fled, resolving to thank Palt rather than scold him. His quarry escaped. Grimalkin folded his arms.

Even so. That was no anomaly. Im sure of it. But what do I do with the knowledge?

Thats the question, dude. What do you do with knowledge?

Oh, shut up.

-

In the end, it had all been a failure. A big waste of ti. But whywhy did it matter? Money could just sit around, right? Did it lose value if you didnt touch it? Surely not.

It was all about Selys, after all. And she told Erin what the real problem was.

Im just worried about the future, you know?

Erin gave her friend a suspicious look, then glanced towards Grimalkins table, but hed already left.

Yeah. I an, no. What are you worried about?

Um. Whether Ill die in the future, whether I can defend myself or Mrshawhat I want to do with my life, how to invest my money in case it runs out, safeguarding my stuff

Selys ticked off the points on her claws. Erin clutched at her stomach.

Ooh. Now I get it. That makes feel bad just thinking about the future. Or maybe it was the clams. Did I boil them long enough?

The [Heiress] laughed.

Erin, youre the worst at committing to things. At least I try. But thats why you have Lyonette. I just wish

Hey! I plan for things! I had all kinds of stuff Iintroduced.

Erin looked around for Grimalkin again and leaned over sneakily to Selys.

Rember the hamburgers? Or pizza? Or stuff?

You just copied that, Erin. Thats short-term stuff. It matters, Im talking about the future.

Hey!

Erin raised a finger and had to concedeSelys was right. The [Innkeeper] leaned on the table with a sigh.

Maybe youre right, Selys. Im bad about that. I just dont likethat kind of big stuff. I did have things I wanted to do.

Really? You?

Mhm. I was going to buy a Golem. You know, so Toren could get a friend?

The Drake paused with a forkful of spaghetti-and-clams that Lasica had helped Erin make before taking half the clams as paynt to her mouth. She gave Erin a look.

Really? You were going to buy a Golem?

Mhm. Before I got kidnapped to Celum, and even after that, I was looking into prices. But Stone Golems are expensive. Like, even the cheapest ones that needed repair were over a thousand gold pieces.

Um. Yeah. Golems arent cheap.

I know! But I wanted one! Just imagine how useful it would have been! I had other plans too. Likegetting the inn enchanted. But look where we are. Lyonette is the one who really got Hedault to do that.

Erin waved a hand towards the kitchen. She peered at the doorway to the garden, where Mrsha, Ekirra, and Visma were playing Gnollball with Numbtongue, which was really him just throwing them as hard as he could from the hill into the pond.

So things I didnt even imagine. Like Numbtongue. OrI wish I had done so of the things before.

Her eyes glimred. Selys rembered five Hobgoblins sitting around a table as if it were yesterday and forever ago. So did Erin.

What else?

She was genuinely curious, but not if it hurt Erin. The [Innkeeper] hesitated. Then she smiled, ruefully.

You know, I barely rember. Hold on, I can check! I think

The young woman charged into the garden, and the door vanished. Selys heard a loud thump, and cursing from upstairs. Then Erin hopped through the doorway, barely seconds later.

Ouch. I ran into my dresser! Butdata! Here it is!

She showed Selys a little journal she took notes in. It wasnt really a diary so much as interesting chess notations, thoughts, grocery lists, anda page of little items, with annotations.

Whats this?

My list of future-stuff. Big ideas I had. See?

There was Golems written on one line. With little annotations.

Golemsstone? tal? Super expensive! Build yourself? Get Pisces to make?

It was also crossed out and bad idea had been written there. Probably after Toren. That was one entry. Selys grinned.

Maybe he can do that. Not all of these ideas are bad, Erin.

Yeah. I know, right? Lets see what else I wrote.

The two bent over the notes for the future as Kevin tried one of Palts cleansing cigars and rapidly sobered.

Whoa. Dude. But why wouldnt you want to be high?

Ti and a place, Kevin. Dont you have to practice football?

The Centaur plucked the cigar out of Kevins hands. The young man groaned.

Oh, thanks! You saved ! You know, Dreamleaf isnt quite like weed

The two heard laughter. Selys and Erin were exclaiming over the paper.

Erin! A ballista? What are you, Bird?

What? I wanted to put one on top of the inn! He has so good ideas! And look at this oneput the inn on wheels!

Do you even know how heavy an inn is?

Duh. Thats why its off the list. Ooh! Look at this one! Ping pong tables! Well, not all of these are huge. But this one is.

Erin tapped one of her notes proudly. Selys read, frowning.

Boom bark walls? You dont an

I had the idea from the second inn. I was going to ask Moore if he could regrow the walls bark. You know, since hes a nature mage? So if there was a siege

Erin made her arms go boom. Selys, Palt, and Kevin all stared at Erin. The [Innkeeper] looked around.

But I didnt bother. Didnt seem too practical. What if the bark appeared on the inside? Well, I was also thinking about making an acid-fly squirt bottle. Forself-defense. But I dont need to. Not all of this is useful after all. Or if I could do itwhy bother?

She sighed. Selys was nodding as Erin reached for the list. It was like her daydreams. Spa, funding adventurerswhat was the point? It wasnt what she really wanted to do, even if it was possible. Erin was closing the journal when a last entry caught Selys eye.

Wait, whats that word there? Bicycle? Whats that?

Kevin blinked. Erin looked at the entry and sighed.

Oh. Bikes. You knowits this vehicle. You can go around fast with it, and I wanted to make it, butlook.

She showed Selys a much-worn page with a sketch. It wasit looked like so odd, odd wagon to Selys. She understood the concept. Two wheels, a seatbut Erin had erased and drawn around sothing connecting the wheels.

I tried talking with [Blacksmiths] and [Carpenters]. I saw this movie where so guy made one out of steel, but that was like, a movie because it would cost way too much.

And itd be way too heavy.

Kevin chid in. Erin nodded distractedly.

Yeah! And I cant figure out how the gears work. See, bicycles use gears, like Pallass elevators.

Well then, could soone from Pallass make one?

Palt looked at Erin, with a keen interest. The sa as Selys. But Erin was shrugging.

Nah, I tried guys. But I never knew how bikes worked. My dad always made them. Listenits no good. You know, because Im from Earth? I cant make gears or rember how the chain worked!

She leaned forwards, whispering. Selyshesitated.

Whats Earth?

Erin froze. She gave Selys a slow, panicked look.

Ive told you both, right? Waitoh no. Have I not told you, Selys? I was sure I did!

She began to panic, Selys eyes narrowed.

Whats Earth? Erin

Mind wipe her, Palt!

Erin shouted. Selys just stared at her. Palt covered his face with his hands. Selys looked at himbut before she could press Erin on what that antKevin spoke up.

You know, gears are really tough. I dont bla you, Erin.

Yes! Thank you, Kevin!

Whatsoh, never mind.

Selys would look it up later. She was sure it was important, but like Grimalkin, she had no fra of reference to really understand what Erin had just said. Earth? Had Erin co from underground?

Oh, Ancestors. The Drake glanced at Erin and then coughed.

Erin, how can you not know how these bikes worked if you rode them? I ride wagons and I could probably build one if I had to!

Underground? Erin spluttered, but Kevin smiled.

Gears are harder than they look, Selys. ActuallyErin, you dont need shifting gears for a bike. Just a chain and pedal system. The gear system makes it really complex, but the first bicycles werent fancy at all.

Erin, Palt, and Selys blinked at Kevin. Kevin, who had been stoned out of his mind a few seconds ago. And Erinhad a thought.

Do you know bicycles, Kevin?

Know them? I used to work at a bicycle repair shop. Lot of people loved them. Wanted to be eco-friendly. You know, in California? San F

Kevin broke off, eying Selys. He coughed.

I thought about making one too. But Magnolia never went for it. And I didnt need to until nowI actually had so sketches too.

Wait. Wait. You know how they work?

Erin was blinking, caught off-guard by this sudden revelation. Kevin gave her a thumbs-up with both hands.

Id love to make one, actually. That, and a skateboard. Too bad theres no waves or we could surf too. The trouble is getting the steel right. And parts. And money, obviously. And no rubber.

There wasa certain logic to things. It wasnt all coincidence, or Erin. She had just observed that sotis the world fit together just right.

Yeah. Chains are tough. You dont want them breaking. And a bike has to be light. Really good steel.

Or enchanted.

Palt observed, slowly lighting up a joint. Erin blinked.

Well, obviously. But youd need a master [Blacksmith], which I obviously didnt know last year. And a good [Mage]. Or even [Enchanter].

And youd have to pay them.

The Centaur and [Innkeeper] looked at Selys. The Drake felt her heart fluttering, but she scratched at her chin calmly.

Lots of money. Especially if you wanted to make more. I assu bicycles are popular?

Well, of course. Youd need to know how they were made to make them good and stuff.

All three turned to Kevin. He looked around, raising his brows. The young man ran a hand through his hair and grinned.

And where would we get all of that in one place?

Three smiles answered him. And the world, always changingchanged further.

-

Much had been said of Hedault, the [Enchanter] of Invrisil. The best the City of Adventurers had to offer, and that was saying a lot.

Other [Enchanters] had tried to establish themselves as the best of Invrisil. Most had moved away, or beeneliminated from the competition.

Not that Hedault himself had anything to do with that. Not at all. The truth was that if you werent exceedingly careful, you ended up touching the Sword of Cursed Locations and ended up buried two thousand feet down and uncovered ten years later by so very unhappy [Miners].

Stuff like that was what Hedaults type of [Enchanter] had to face. To be preciseanalysis and alteration.

Enchanting was actually made up of different divisions and specialties. Not that anyone outside of his field really cared. For instance, you had creation-specialists like Archmage Nailihuaile, experts in their own designs. Whereas Hedault was good at figuring out what an enchantnt did, and repairing the spell or altering it.

He was precise, careful, and pedantic to a fault. Even Magnolia Reinhart arranged etings in advance. Hedault did not likechaos.

Ergo, he did not like the Horns of Hamrad or The Wandering Inn. If he would admit they had grown on himit was more like moss grew on a moist surface.

Still. The [Enchanter] had arrived precisely forty minutes after receiving the politely-worded request via Montressa du Valeross because he sensed opportunity. He paused outside the door to Erins inn on Invrisils side and cast three spells.

[Impact Shield]. [Second Skin: Film Weave]. [Invisibility].

Then he stepped into The Wandering Inn. Hedault looked around, assessing the situation. If there was anychaoshe was prepared to leave unless said disturbance was counterbalanced by, say, Grand Mage Eldavin.

He had made a mistake, however. As the [Enchanter] walked through the door to the common room, several people noticed him.

Palt. The Gentlen Callers, who were considering how all this paid sitting-about was going to their waistlines. Erin Solstice, who looked around with a deep frown. Maviola El.

And every Gnoll in the inn, of course. Most just sniffed the air as Hedault passed by or noticed the movent of air on their fur. And this was because the [Enchanter] wasnt an expert in subterfuge. He made it halfway across the inn as Erin nudged Palt and whispered to him. He was looking for

Wham. A little Gnoll charged into the barrier around Hedault and recoiled. Mrsha flopped backwards, dazed, and Hedault whirled around.

Mrsha! What happened?

Lyonette exclaid. Mrsha had gone running at sothing and collided with the air. Hedault reappeared, looking peeved. Mrsha promptly sat up, shook her head a few tis, and then tackled his legs.

Gnoll child, desist. Do not touch .

The [Enchanter] tried to shove Mrsha off his legs. The Gnoll girl, in the way children had of sensing when they werent wanted, tried to steal his wand. She slid off the [Second Skin] spell like Hedault had a layer of glass on him.

That only made him more fun. Lyonette grabbed Mrsha mid-leap.

I am so sorry, Master Hedault. Mrsha, stop that!

The Gnoll girl stared at Hedaults side and the wand. The [Enchanter] straightened his clothing, tapping his wrist twice with his fingers.

I believe I am done here. Once again, this inn

Hedault! Buddy! Sorry about that. Thanks for coming!

Too late. Erin Solstice appeared with a huge smile. She grabbed Hedaults arm. He imdiately tried to pull away.

Let go of , please.

Whoops, sorry. Lets go over there! Pelts just about to arrive.

I believe my patience is at its end

Dont be like that. I have snacks! Want so clams?

Clams?

This was why Hedault hated the inn. It was a fascinating puzzle of possible enchantnts, the garden, as well as the door being objects of interest. The [Enchanter] liked all that. He just disliked the spontaneous chaos of it all.

He was considering permanently blacklisting the inn, despite the fortuitous events that sotis occurred within. And that was a serious threat because Hedault hadnt told anyone he was considering it.

He found himself in one of the private dining rooms. There, waiting for him, was Kevin.

Hey. Youre the [Enchanter]-guy, right? Nice to et you. Im Kevin.

The [Enchanter] looked at Kevin, holding out a hand and trying to look professional, and the bowl of clams and fries. Were thoseappetizers? He pinched the bridge of his nose.

At least shed kept to her appointnt this ti.

-

Pelt stomped into the inn six minutes late. He ignored everyone, including Erin as she bustled over to him.

Hey, Pelt! So glad you could make it. Hedault was trying to get out and

Shut up.

The Dwarf walked around the bar and pulled out a bottle of wine. Light drinking. He took the bottle and a mug with him. Erin faltered.

Erhelp yourself. Right this way.

She led him to the private room. Hedault was impatiently tapping at his wrist and ignoring the clams.

Heres Pelt! Sorry for the delay, guys. Selys, Palt! Its ti!

The Dwarf found himself sitting next to Hedault, in a presentation-style eting as Kevin and Erin set up on one side of the room. Palt and Selys stood at the back.

Hedault, right?

The Dwarf looked at the [Enchanter]. Hedault nodded slowly.

Master Pelt. You have my complints on the Grasgil ring you sent . I was indeed able to enchant it and the impurity was almost imperceptible.

Pelts expression was sour.

Damn dust. I would have trashed the entire ring but my apprentices cant get enough raw Grasgil. Its a disgrace.

That made Hedault smile for the first ti. From anyone else, a Grasgil ring of that purity would have been perfect, not even worth critiquing. But a master [Smith] had different, higher, correct standards.

Can I get you anything, Master Hedault?

Palt spoke behind Hedault. The [Enchanter] looked at the door, decided he had wasted enough ti to not just up and leave, and sighed.

Water with lemon, please. Purified.

Anyone want clams?

Erin offered the bowl around. Hedault and Pelt stared at her. The Dwarf eyed the mollusks, pushed it across the table, and grunted as he poured as much wine into the deep mug as it would allow. Erins smile faded as she saw the level of wine in the bottle half itself.

Im not made of ti, Solstice. You have until this wine runs out. Or do you think I dont have work? This had better be good.

Uhwell, sorry, Pelt

The Dwarf didnt stop talking or give Erin a chance to speak. He gestured to Hedault.

Both of us have jobs. We ca because you insisted, but this is costing us gold. So if I dont like what I hear in the next five minutes, Ill ban you from my forge for a month.

It was a very efficient way of dealing with Erin. Hedault nodded as the [Innkeeper] spluttered and coughed. When she spoke next, her manner was very subdued.

Okay! Okay! Im very sorry. But this is actually important! Its a big project and we need the best [Enchanter] and [Blacksmith].

The Human man and Dwarf glanced at each other. Kevin was passing around a copy of a diagram hed been working on. The two leaned over it.

What in the na of the Grandfathers beards is this?

Pelt stared at the piece of paper, then at the strange object lying on a tray. Hedault peered at it too.

It was, in fact, a gear made out of clay. A fixed gear, the spokes clumsily shaped. Erin drew back the sample gear.

Thats a part we need Pelt to make. Seethe thing is, we have a project we want you two to work on. We want to makea bicycle.

The two gave her blank looks. Pelt eyed the gear. It reminded him of the ones Pallass [Engineers] kept having him make. Kevin enthusiastically waved the diagram of the bike parts around.

Its not hard to make, actually. I was trying to break down the componentswe could definitely make a skateboard. We just need so good wood and

A what now?

Hedault was puzzling over the diagram as Kevin tried to explain a skateboard to Pelt. Erin was telling Pelt about how theyd made the gear out of clay since theyd realized they needed a prototype and how easy that was.

Selys Shivertail, sitting in the back, stared at the worst presentation shed ever seen with horror on her face. The two master artisans were listening with increasing confusion and impatience. Erin did not know how to present. She was operating from the assumption that everyone knew how cool a bicycle was, and Kevin was talking about skateboards.

So, you can do tricks on it, its good exercisesay, hows Esthelm treating you, Pelt? Anything new happen recently?

Selys was no expert investor. But she was a [Receptionist]. She looked around, then clapped her claws together as loudly as possible.

Excuse !

Erin and Kevin stopped talking and looked at Selys. The Drake shook her head.

Im sorry. But Erinstop. This isnt how you present your idea.

What? But Selys

The [Receptionist] dragged the two Humans to the side and whispered furiously as Palt hurried in with Hedaults glass of water. Pelt was still eying the mollusks suspiciously; he thought hed seen one move.

Whats the problem, Selys? I was working on Pelt. Let him have a few drinks. He likes .

Well, Master Hedault doesnt.

Selys pointed to Erin. The [Innkeeper] peered at Hedaults vexed expression. In another man, he would have been shouting.

Uh oh.

The Drake sighed. Erin was better at Pelt than Hedault. It was a personality thing. She took over.

Erin. Pelt might be a friend, but Master Hedault isnt. And theyre both busy. This is a big project. Have you never worked withlisten. Youre going to explain what a bicycle is, from the start, as fast as you can. You have five minutes, maximum. Think of it like that. And you want them to like your idea.

The young woman blinked. Then her eyes lit up.

Oh! Like those TV shows! But Im no good at those kinds of presentationsKevin?

He hesitated. He hadnt exactly majored in business either. Selys looked around. Butthere was a better diplomat waiting in the wings. Or hooves, as the case might be.

Palt, the Centaur, glanced up from where he was trying to soothe Hedault and keep him from leaving. The Centaur looked at Selys, at the confused Humans. He gave the Drake a nod and they walked to the front of the room.

The first thing Palt did was dim the lights in the room. In this case, the lanterns lights went lower. Next, he cast a simple spell.

A miniature grassy adow appeared. It hovered in the air, like a hologram to the Humans. Pelt and Hedault looked at the illusion and saw, rolling onto it, a bicycle.

Palt didnt know exactly how they worked. Howeverhe didnt need to.

Hey, Kevin. Wheres the picture of the bicycle-thingy? Make this thing work.

Selys shook the laptop at Kevin. He took it hurriedly.

He had pictures. On his computer. Palt spoke as he copied laptop screensothing else Erin had yet to explain to Selys satisfaction. Palt and Hedault frowned as Palt blocked the screen and showed them the illusionof the screenwhich was the sa thing.

This is a bicycle, gentlen.

Hey.

The Dwarf smith grunted. The Centaur bowed.

Excuse . Dwarf and gentleman. Its a personal vehicle designed to replacehorses. And running, to a large extent. With it, the average person can move about faster than even your average Runner with Skills. And aside from the cost of construction and occasional maintenanceit runs on no magic.

The [Enchanter] and [Blacksmith] sat up. Pelt eyed the illusion, then adjusted it based on the laptop Erin and Kevin covertly showed him. Erin pointed before Palt or Hedault could see the electronic.

See this? It can be done!

Palt had replicated what he saw on screen exactly. There was Kevin, posing for a picture with a mountain bike on so rock and a scenic view. Pelt and Hedault glanced at Kevin. He gave them two thumbs-up.

Looks like you already have one of these things.

Nope. Um. Its from ho, and Kevin was trying them out. Palt is copying an image we haveuhof the bike.

Erin lied quickly. Pelt frowned at her, and then at the image. Hedault peered at the bicycle.

Interesting structure. But I understand the basic idea. How does onebalance with two wheels?

Yeah. Youre going to just fall over.

Selys and Pelt both looked to Kevin; they agreed. He grinned.

Not at all. Its actually easy. See, you dont just stand there. Youre always moving, and so long as you are, theres no need to worry. See how the front section therehas a hinge?

Ah. A turning chanism. Why not three wheels, though? Or four?

More like a coach, then. Kevin shook his head.

The point of a bicycle is to be efficient as possible. More wheels ans more resistance and a largerstructure.

I believe were talking about a lightweight vehicle, Master Hedault, Master Pelt. Sothing designed for speed.

Palt pulled the presentation back on track. Selys nodded. They had to understand what a bike was first.

Kevin, lets put aside how the bicycle functions first. Tell us two things: firstly, how light did you say your bike was? And how fast could it go?

Kevin had to think for a second.

Wellso can get lighter, but my mountain bike was about thirty pounds.

Huh.

Pelts brows rose. He glanced at the bike.

Thats not steel, then. Hollowed tal?

Yep. And if Im going uphill, its obviously slower. Downhill, faster. But Id say the average speed of a bike is

Kevin looked at Erin. She just shrugged; she wasnt a cyclist. Kevin hedged.

Thirty miles per hour.

Thirty? Thats about the top speed of a horse. Is that a precise asurent?

Hedault was incredulous. Kevin grinned.

Bicycles can go fast. On wheels, you could reach top speeds even higher than that. Especially downhill.

Like a wagon. Only, the riders the horse? Why would anyone want to do that?

Pelt wasnt quite sold. But the Dwarf got the picture when Selys laid it out for him with Palts illusions as illustration.

Master Pelt, you might not want to use one because you can afford to hire a carriage. But imagine a Runner using one of these. Or the average pedestrian. Its a new, casual mode of transport. It wont replace the magical carriage. But its the ideal thing for shorter travel. Especially down roads.

And imagine what you could do with Skills. Kevins speeds are based onprototypes. Without magic.

Kevin blinked, caught himself, and nodded. Hedault frowned.

Interesting.

And it was. Sowhat to Erins surprise as she saw the others taking over, she realized that the two craftsn werent impressed by bicycles as a ga-changing thing. Because it wasnt. The reason Erin hadnt pushed for a bicycle before now was becauseit wasnt necessary.

There were faster vehicles in the world. Magnolias carriage, [Riders] with Skills. Flying carpets, teleportation spells. Heck, her door was proof enough there were more efficient ways to do things. Now, a plane might change this world. But a bicycle?

In smaller ways. It was a symbol of industrialization. It was easier to care for than a horse, better in so areas. However, you did need to be sold on it.

And what sold Pelt and Hedault wasnt the economic viability of the bicycles. It was two things.

Im willing to finance this project, Master Hedault, Master Pelt. Ill pay you for your services, your best rates.

Selys really hoped it wasnt going to be that much. But the promise of lucre for their hard work definitely drew Pelt and Hedaults attention. Even sowhat really got them was Kevins comnt in response to Pelts question.

Why us? You could have hiredRaekea? Yeah, that Gnoll [Smith]. Get her to make you so prototypes. I make works of art.

But she cant do it. She cant work the right tal. The bicycle has to be a work of art. Each little improvent makes it that much better. We need the best; its all about efficiency. The weight of the tal, and enchanting it

Hedault and Pelt sat up. Efficiency? They looked at the bicycle. And unintentionally or perhaps intentionally, Kevin had spoken to their skillsets.

It wasnt about making one. It was about making one go as fast as possible. They were drawn to the challenge of the concept. Kevin nodded.

Do you know what aluminum is? Its this lightweight tal used in alloysI dont know if youd know about it. It was

He looked at Erin. Aluminum as an industrial tal had been invented in the last two hundred years of Human civilization owing to the difficulty of properly slting it. It was plentiful, but not sothing Erin had ever seen in circulation in Liscor, or even Pallass forges.

Pelt snorted. But his eyes had lit up.

You think theres a tal in this world that Dwarves havent learned of before Humans? Tell more. What does it look like?

Umsilvery. If its raw. Really lightweight compared to steel, but a lot more ductile. Weaker.

The Dwarf tapped his fingers impatiently on the table.

Be more specific. Tell sothing unique about this tal.

Kevin was sweating as he tried to recall useful little bits of information. He snapped his fingers.

Oh! Ive got one. Its not magnetic! You know, if you have

The Dwarfs eyes sharpened.

Ah. Keep going. Whats the lting heat?

ErI know its actually sort of common, just hard to process

The [Blacksmith] grilled Kevin for a few minutes, but in the end he had his answer.

It cant be Dwarfsteel. Not if its that malleable and needs alloying like that. And Humans have discovered tin long ago. I think you must be talking about Serraleun.

You know about it?

Erin blinked at Pelt. He took a deeper gulp of wine as he snorted.

Of course. Different nas, sa tal. And youre wrong. Humans discovered that ages ago. Cant just slap your own stupid nas on the tal. Aluminum. Hah. Serraleuns a tricky bastard of a tal, but Chandrarian [Smiths] have worked with it before. Its one of the many tals that goes into Naq-Alrama steel.

Ooh. Is that a secret?

The Dwarf glowered.

Not one Im going to get in trouble with since they put so many damn tals in there. Everything from Adamantium to

He glanced at Palt and Hedaults avaricious expressions and Pelts tone beca circumspect.

So, could you actually make a bicycle out of this tal, Pelt?

Selys was excited. The Dwarf [Blacksmith] eyed the sample gear and flicked his fingers at it.

Gah. I hatewhat did you call it? Gears? So many little teeth and they have to be perfectly aligned. Of course, I can do it, but I have to make them myself. My apprentices arent that good yet.

They do have to be perfect. And the chain

Kevin could actually describe a bikes chain well, having worked with them so long. Pelt nodded impatiently.

Its damn chain. I make chainmail. Its even made of parts, so I could do that. Just a pain to make all the little bits. Stillthere are ways to speed up the process if I knew I was making thousands of parts. However. Im not working with Serraleun.

Why not?

The Dwarf looked around and counted on his fingers.

Firstly, the process is a pain in my ass. Even building the contraption you need to slt the stuff takes an [Enchanter] and ti. Second, I hate the stuff. Its poison if you get it in your lungs. Third, I dont want to.

But Pelt

Erin sidled around with the bottle of mostly-empty wine. She waved it at the Dwarf and he smacked it away.

Im not done. If you wanted to make it out of your aluminum, Id say no. But why bother? You. Boy. Did your smiths not think of using mithril? Or a lighter tal?

He pointed at Kevin. The young man jumped.

? I anno. Aluminum was cheap because they made a lot of it. Isnt mithril expensive?

Yup. But Id be able to get more of it than Serraleun. And even a weak alloy of mithril is strong.

You wouldnt even need mithril, per se. Pure steel might actually work, if Master Pelt can make everything out of that.

Hedault broke into the talk about tals for the first ti. The [Enchanter] had been doing calculations. Now, the others looked at him.

But steels too expensive. And heavy.

Especially heavy.

Kevin put in. Hedault nodded, but absently.

What I ant was steel of the purity Master Pelt can produce. You seepure tals can hold enchantnts very well. And if you give a block of pure steel weighing thirty pounds, I can halve the weight with a basic enchantnt. With Master Pelts quality of steel and more effort? I could reduce it to almost a third of its weight.

The conference table fell silent. Erin silently oohed in the background.

Master Hedault, maybe weve been looking at this the wrong way. If the problem is just making this device light and strong enough, Kevinwhat about wood?

Wood? Iveheard of people making bikes like that. Bamboo. But I dont know if itd be strong enoughstill, with magic that changes everything.

The young man ran a hand through his hair. He looked questioningly at Hedault. The [Enchanter] sighed.

Not all woods work well. Wood is tricky because the grain structure forces the enchantnt to be customized.

So not practical for making lots of them?

Not at all. However, there are a few magical woods

Selys was thinking.

Master Pelt can make all the gears and little things that Kevin needs. Master Hedault, you can make the bicycle strong enough with the right materials. A really, really efficient bicycle might be expensive. But what aboutjust pure iron made as light as you can and tough as you can?

I can do that. Certainly, enchant iron to be as strong as steel.

Hedault flicked his fingers. Pelt yawned.

Iron? Ill bend it into shape if you want.

Oh wow. So we could actually do this?

Erin looked about. The [Innkeeper] saw Kevin scratching at his head. The young man and expert in this room on bicycles raised one hand.

Maybe. Theres just one problem. And thats the wheel.

Everyone turned back to the image Palt was maintaining. Pelt frowned.

Looks easy. tal rim, good, solid tal structureah. Whats that stuff on the edge?

He pointed and Erins heart sank. Rubber. Hedault peered at it too.

I assu that is to grip the ground?

Yup. Theres no

Kevin looked at Erin. There wasnt rubber or plastics that either knew about. He hesitated.

Road bikes could be just tal, or leather or sothing so long as it grips the ground. But its just less efficient.

Hm. Spikes? I can do spikes.

The group began to brainstorm. There were plenty of leathers Selys knew about.

Why not ask for Wyvern leather or sothing? Pallass is still selling it cheap and thats tough stuff. Any other problems, Kevin? What did you say the issue with the um, gears was?

Its got to be smooth. You see, the problem is that you lose energy. Really efficient bicycles dont weigh much, the gears are smoothoh, and we need brakes and shock absorbers, although that can co later.

Ah. Then I could apply a force multiplier on thepedals? What is being absorbed?

Hedault was quite impressed by Kevins description of shock absorbers. However, he also considered it an overly-difficult solution to an easy fix with magic. He pointed at the saddle.

Ill enchant that with a [Cushion] spell. It will be magically-intensive to create, but that solves your need for these springs. And if you are worried about fallinga Ring of Feather Impact solves that.

Ooh.

Would you stop that?

Selys whispered at Erin. Even Palt was in on this.

If you want a light on this, there are spells. Master Hedault, all youd need is a good crystal, even quartz and a directed [Light Beam] spell.

Thats a combat spell. [Light] will do, with a few enhancent spells.

What about spikes? I could put so chariot war scythes on the sides if you really wanted this thing to fight for you.

The Dwarf was imagining where to mount them. Yup, so nice, spinning blades and youd just ride past the enemyKevin hesitated.

Maybe lets not do that, dude. But heyhow light could we make this bicycle? I an, obviously the iron ones can be lightweight. But if we really went at it?

Pelt looked at Hedault. The [Enchanter] smiled.

Mister Kevin. One of the final tests of a true [Enchanter] in most Terandrian academies is to enchant a small block of mithril. The tal is already feather-light. So the [Enchanter] must, with [Featherweight] and other buoyancy spells, enchant the block until he is able to keep it aloft by his breath alone.

Whoa. Dude. Hear out, then. What if you had a bike that light, and then the person on it was so lightweight with like, an amulet or sothing they went off a jump

Kevin was imagining the greatest stunts either world had ever seen. Erin was rubbing her hands together. Selys was worried they were taking this too far.

Rember, everyone. Were trying to mass-produce these bicycles. Not make one really expensive one.

Palt, Pelt, Hedault, and Kevin all gave her a betrayed look. Palt cleared his throat.

We can always make a prototype that showcases all the abilities of a bicycle. No doubt there will be higher-end models. ErKevin. How would you make one for ?

Kevin and Erin stopped. They looked at Palt. Centaur hooves, his entire bodyPalts face fell. Erin solemnly put a hand on his shoulder. She had to stand on her tip-toes to do so.

Im sorry, pal.

The Centaur sighed and put a cigar in his mouth. Erin didnt have the heart to stop him. Hedault did.

Erin smiled hugely as she walked around the edge of the huddle.

Sodo you think we can get a bike tonight? Id love to ride one!

The others looked at her strangely. Pelt grunted.

Tonight? Are you mad? I cant make one tonight! Youre lucky if we can get a prototype with all those fiddly gears by the end of the week, and thats if I can trust my apprentices with the work!

The end of the week?

Erin was appalled. Hedault cleared his throat.

Enchanting each piece and ascertaining how to streamline the process will also take ti, Miss Solstice. I will move your work up in the queue since it isnt as arduous as so of my tasks, but it will take ti.

That was disappointing. Erin had made the Toren-sled in an hour, after all! And she was used to setting up and implenting her big plans over a day. Even the Players of Celum hadnt been, like, well, making sothing.

I can totally work with them, Erin. Leave it to .

Kevin didnt seem to mind the ti it would take. Erin looked at Selys, but she was asking Pelt and Hedault for quotes on their prices and wincing. Palt trotted over to her.

I think it will be quick, Erin. But you do have to wait for innovation.

Thats probably why I dont innovate. Food is fast. Actuallymagic food is hard. Maybe Ill go make so.

Erin realized she should probably do more cook-experintation or Numbtongue would yell at her. She saw Selys digging in her bag of holding for gold which she thrust at Pelt.

Are you still experinting?

Yes?

The Centaur gave Erin a look. She held up her hands.

Numbtongue makes ! I made an acid-fly jelly the other day.

What does thatdo?

Um. It kills you if you eat it? But you can serve it on a plate and not damage the plate!

Everyone in the conference room turned to look at Erin. They resolved never to eat anything remotely resembling jello in the inn. Erin threw up her hands.

It was an experint! I had to get rid of it just in case Mrsha ever got snacky. Im not insane!

The conference was winding down. Pelt and Hedault had agreed and Selys was arranging down paynts on their services. Kevin was grinning at the prospect of working on his dream-bike. That was when he rembered the other idea hed floated at the start and turned to Pelt.

Hey. Do you think you could make a skateboard soti? I an, when you have the chance. I just need a few parts. A skateboard is really easy to make compared to a bicycle.

The Dwarf scratched at his beard.

Whats that?

Its a piece of wood with four wheels.

Kevin pulled up a picture on his laptop and Palt copied it. The Dwarf eyed the object.

I can make that. Why cant you?

The young man from California hesitated and looked at Hedault.

Well. I wanted a helt. In case I fell on my head.

The [Enchanter] raised his eyebrows.

That can certainly be done. But what about a ring?

The young man thought about that. And he grinned. Erin peered sideways at the group.

How hard is it to make a skateboard, Kevin?

When you really got down to it, it seed simple. The expert in the room grimaced.

There are a few parts, Erin. Stuff like ball bearings to make the wheels run smooth. So parts are easy, like the board itself. If I had plywood and glue, I could make the base really fast. And a vacuum-sealable bag. Anda vacuum. Or a pumpand a place to actually skateboard.

The little problems. Skateboards were even less useful than bikes because, well, they had been designed with urban roadways in mind. Kevin was describing them to Pelt and Hedault.

See, the wheels only work on smooth roads. But even Invrisil has, like, cobblestones in too many places.

The two nodded. Pelt was eying the image of Kevin doing a trick.

Not sure what those tiny tal balls are for.

Ball bearings. You put them in to create a smooth spin to the wheels

Huh. Why would that help? The rest looks easy. Just two support struts.

Well, yeah. Its not rocket scer, really hard. Its justsmooth, rember? Its gotta be smooth. And if thing dont work right, its just not fun.

Kevin pretended not to notice Erin and Palts covert glares. What a problem. How did you make sothing as light and sturdy as plywood withoutplywood? You had to experint. And without ball bearings, how did you make the wheels? You had to invent the very simple stuff that went into a modern skateboard.

Or, alternativelyHedault looked at Kevin. The [Enchanter]s curiosity was piqued.

If its just sothing that simpleI could enchant that in less than an hour. Wheels, board. And perhaps thewhat is the term for that part?

The truck?

Yes. That.

Erins eyes lit up. The [Innkeeper] slid forwards.

Maybe, guyswe should do a proof of concept.

She threw her arms around Hedault and Kevins shoulders since Pelt was too short. The [Enchanter] blinked. Kevin grinned wider. Hedault brushed Erins arm off.

Perhaps. But we must first speak about boundaries, Miss Solstice. Stop. Touching. .

Erins smile faltered.

-

It was so easy for her to do, and he hated her for it. He only saw the finished product, hours later. But thenso did she. She didnt respect the craft; in many ways, Erin Solstice was callous.

This was how it had taken shape.

The tal moved under the [Blacksmith]s hamr. It flowed and reshaped itself, touched by a master. It had been rendered pure by Skill and knowledge and talent and care. From the mont Pelt had selected the iron ore, chosen his crucible and ensured neither air nor foreign contaminant could disrupt the purity of his product.

It mattered. In a way, the Dwarf had finished forging before hed even put hamr to tal. With the purity of his tal, what was shape to the substance he had wrought? But he was a master of both.

It wont flex just right.

Bah. Its thin enough. Its a test-run. And you cant enchant wood the sa way, right, Hedault?

Not at all. Give twenty minutes.

The [Enchanter] took the semblance of the board, curved upwards on both sides, made of steel rather than wood. The Dwarf was busy with the truck. He copied the form based on the one look hed gotten from Kevins skateboard, fashioning a template out of clay.

This good?

Yes. Holyhow did you know?

Eh. So long as I know the asurents of the board part, I can keep it the sa ratio. Now stand back. Ill need to fuller these wheels too.

Erin had remarked that it was a stupid, stupid idea to make a bicycle out of steel. And perhaps this idea was just as cracked. But there was magic involved too. Hedault weighed the board on a little scale.

Hm. Nearly a third of the weight, as I said. Here.

He handed it to Kevin. The young man whistled as he lifted the board and offered it to Erin. She lifted the tal incredulously. Yes, steel was suddenly lighter than titanium. Maybe not as light as wood or aluminum could bebut close.

The thing was that they were taking shortcuts to the real thing. Hedault did the truck of the skateboard next, reinforcing it so the steel wouldnt deform under the impacts the board needed to take, and making it lighter. It wasnt sothing, say, Ceria, or even Palt or Montressa could have done. But thats why Hedault was there. Erin had, in her way, found the best experts in the region. Arguably, a large part of the world around her to do what she wanted.

But it was easy because of how she did it. She wasnt experinting. She wasntinnovating. She was searching for a way to create what she knew would work.

And that made things easy. So much easier than finding it out after trial, failure, improvents on the design. In the sa way aan iPhone was indecipherable and beyond even the most advanced early super-computers of their eras, it was all about ti.

Ti, which equated to knowledge in this case, expertise, money, and talent. And the finished product was easy.

Easier than a bicycle. Kevin gingerly stared at the all-tal contraption. It was shiny.

You could paint this in a wicked sche. But the wheels

I roughed them up a bit. Should grip. And the tops got sandpaper on it.

Literally. Pelt had just glued it to the tal. Kevin stood on the board. He experintally pushed himself forwards and nearly fell

Whoa! Its fast!

Lightweight enchantnts, and [Grease] enchantnts where it spins.

Even Hedault had been caught up in the excitent of creation, once Erin had apologized properly and anded her behavior. And why not? For him, this was new.

Look at it. Of course, only the patrons of The Wandering Inn saw Kevin first enter through the door to Esthelm and shoot down the floor. Mrsha went insane, chasing after the coolest thing ever as Kevin shot around tables and chairs and wiped out because he was going way faster than he imagined. But Hedaults ring cushioned the impact.

Dude.

Kevin, are you insane? Is that a tal skateboard?

Joseph, wide-eyed, stared at the board. He imdiately wanted a try. So did Rose. Galina just stared at the death of ankles everywhere and climbed onto her chair before Kevin could run into her.

Its just a trial for sothing else. Look at this! Whoopsits dangerous!

Kevin tried to do a walk the dog simple trick and hit Joseph in the leg. The [Kicker] howled in pain. A steel skateboard was still made of steel, even if it was lighter.

Palt. What is that?

Montressa looked at the Centaur. She knew.

Sothing that might be completely useless. But its a prototype. Ill share the details with you later.

The Centaur was grinning like a madman. So was Kevin. Mrsha was begging for a turn along with half the young males in the room and so of the females.

So incautious. Erin hadnt thought about what bringing this into existence ant. Which was why Ryoka often got peeved at her. She didnt understand the levels of what it changed.

The skateboard? Perhaps on its own it wasnt that revealing. It wouldnt change the way wars were fought.

Ball bearings, though? Pelt had remained in his forge to puzzle that one out. Hed just given the skateboard a normal axis to spin on, but he was experinting with the idea of using the tiny tal orbs like Kevin had described.

That was the unintentional little jump forwards hundreds of years. And that was just in the inception of the skateboard.

There was a logic to it. Selys saw Kevin shooting down the inn as guests cleared the way. The young man was over the moon.

I wish I had a bigger place! And a ramp! Hey, can we get one built? If only Liscor didnt have paving stones.

He groused even as he gave Joseph a turn. Leon and Troy werent there, or they would have demanded the sa. But then Selys observed sothing.

You know, Pallass has really smooth walkways. No paving stones, just smooth. And theres those giant ramps

Kevin looked up. He hadnt been to Pallass. Erins eyes widened.

Whoa. But SelysI dont think you quite know how skateboards work. UmKevin, theyre massive ramps.

Like, how big?

He looked eagerly at Erin. The [Innkeeper] hesitated. And she was a bit too slow to stop it.

That was how he saw her. The muscular Drake turned his head as he stood on the 3rd Floor. He looked up and saw sothing else from her ti. A crystallization of technology, brought with absurd ease to life. Because Erin Solstice had known it existed.

Ooh.

The young woman stared down one of the four great staircases of Pallass. As she had observed the very first ti shed co to Pallass, the staircases went up the entire Walled City on both sides. Thus, the ramps stretched down nearly three hundred feet. They separated both sides, flattening out on each floor for a bit before curving down.

Kevin, dont be stupid. Youll die.

Joseph cautioned his friend. Kevin was holding the skateboard on the 9th Floor, looking down. He was already getting looks. Not many people used the center ramps. Wellso of Pallass Street Runners did, especially the fearless Garuda who literally jumped off each floor to make deliveries.

Ive got a magical ring, guys. Right, Hedault?

He should survive a fall even if he jumped from the 9th Floor. I will need it back.

The [Enchanter] couldnt have said why hed followed Kevin. Perhaps to see his invention used and analyze the efficacy. Or perhapsthe fluid motion of the wheels and the way Kevin had used it had called to him. Hewould have liked a turn.

Guys. This is the most incredible ramp Ive ever seen. And I have a magical ring. I have to try it.

If Kevin was worried about anyone, it was accidentally losing control of the skateboard and hitting soone with the flying tal object. So he began shouting.

Hey! Im going down! Get out of the way!

That, of course, attracted attention. People looked up at the obnoxious shouting Human. Erin shouted toothat was when Grimalkin heard him.

Hey. Is that Kevin? No way. Is that a skateboard? No way.

Soone muttered. Leon and Troy looked up from where theyd been surreptitiously investigating Pallass with a big bag of coins.

More heads were turning. It wasnt just Hedault. Or Grimalkin, or the Earthers. Kevins steel skateboard shone in the light as he slowly rolled to the edge of the ramp on the 9th floor. People were mostly just curious; so recognized Erin, or just wanted to know what the shouting was about. After all, theyd seen bad wipeouts that carried people down the staircase. One ti a Dullahan had dropped his head and it had bounced down six floors.

Hed died.

People had demanded the guardrails that were on the staircases now. But thisthis was different.

What was this Human doing? Across Pallass, people were staring. But more than people.

Young Drakes, Gnolls, Garuda, and Dullahans stared up at the Human around their age. It didnt matter if they were rich, like Lady Salkis, who had demurely paused with her bodyguards, hiding the strange artifact she couldnt puzzle out.

What is that Human doing? Id like to see.

Lady Salkis

One of her bodyguards wanted to stop the young Drake lady, but she was insistent. And she was just in ti to see Kevin take a deep breath.

Okay. Here I go!

He pushed forwards, balancing on the skateboard and crouching. The watchers had just a second to realize.

The board was on wheels. And the wheels cleared the edge of the ramp

Kevin!

The young man shot down the ramp. It wasnt a slow pickup of speed. He went over the side and blazed down the steep incline.

ly shiiiiiiiii

Erins jaw dropped. She turned to Hedault as everyone surged to the edge. The [Enchanter] tapped his wrist twice.

Maybe I made the [Grease] enchantnt too strong.

By the ti he said that, though, Kevin was three floors down. The only thing stopping him from wiping out was the fact that he was going in a perfect straight line. And wind resistance. But on the 6th flooras he cleared the flat straightaway, his skateboards acceleration carried him over the edge.

aaaaaaaaa

He touched the ground at the edge of the ramp going down to the 5th Floor and braced just in ti. Erin saw him lose speed, but the force of landing made Kevin wobble. He went over the 5th Floors ramp and hit the stairs.

Oh my god!

The skateboard flipped. Kevin flipped. Erin saw, in slow-motion, the skateboard twirling past Kevin as he tried to grab it in midair. He had ti! He could grab it, put it under his legs

Maybe if hed had Skills. Kevin missed. He rotated in the air and went head-first towards the ground.

Kevin!

iiiitugph!

The young man halted a foot from the ground. His flailing arms, and screamall stopped as Hedaults ring flashed. For a second Kevin hoveredand then the enchantnt let him drop. He hit the ground.

His skateboard had slamd into the railing just past him, narrowly missing a watching group of Dullahans. Kevin heard exclamations, shouts from above. He tried to stand upbut his arms and legs were jelly.

He nearly killed soone!

That ring saved him!

What in the na of the Ancestors was that thing? So kind of artifact?

People were shouting. Erin looked at Hedault. The [Enchanter] stared down at Kevin, surrounded by a crowd.

That was quite dangerous.

No kidding?

The man waved at the skateboard.

Not the ring. It could have saved him from a much faster drop. Althoughits only safe up to a certain amount of weight. I might have to adjust for that kind of acceleration. I ant the skateboard. Its quite a projectile.

Indeed, before Erin even got to Kevin, the nearest [Guard] had arrested him. They might not have known what law hed broken, but hed broken sothing. However, the [Guard] proved unable to escort Kevin to the Watch House or jail.

A mob of Pallass youth practically carried Kevin off. They demanded to know what hed just been riding.

Lady Salkis herself would have been part of that mob, but for her damned [Bodyguards]. She couldnt stop her tail from wagging.

Find out what that is.

But Lady Salkis

Thats an order.

Look at it. No, look at it. In a mont, Kevins face beca burned into a thousand eyes. A vision of speed. And the skateboard? Kevin was trying to explain as people fought to prevent it being stolen and begged for a chance. In his mind whirled visions of ramps, places where he could do that trick more safelyand lots of Hedaults rings.

Grimalkin of Pallass saw it all. The Watch tried to stop the inevitable. But the mob of people proved too much for them. And they ended up just clearing a death-zone around the southern staircase as the first Garuda tried to ride down all nine floors. She ended up wiping out after just two floors and flying off as the skateboard blasted further down like so missile of death.

Look what youve done. He saw Erin Solstice amid it all. She wasnt the focus of attention; Kevin was. But he knew who had caused this.

Look. Pallass wouldnt ever be the sa. A Drake went down one floor before he hopped off, screaming. His tail had nearly torn off every scale as it dragged behind the skateboard. Of course, each rider had to borrow Hedaults ring. And the others wanted one of those boards yesterday.

Even the damn [Enchanter].

Hedault went down all nine floors like an arrow thanks to a [Sticky Web] spell on his feet. And Grimalkin, Erinno one could have predicted that. Or how Hedault laughed.

She changed everything. Grimalkin watched Erin. Had she planned this? Or was it just chance? Thoughtlessness. Soon, Drassi or Wistrams broadcast would pick it up. And thenwell, he had seen what happened with football. Imagine this? What would it change? Nobody could know, not even Erin Solstice. What had she done?

Its not her fault.

He told himself that. He had wondered if she was just a child. Or if so thingstaking in Antinium, introducing the things she didwas because she knew sothing.

Either way. Grimalkin didnt keep watching. He could have marched up there and he wondered what Erin Solstice would have said to him. But he wouldnt do that.

Erin Solstice was a woman of virtues and her own kind of integrity. She could be forced into many situations. Butmaking soone of her level and talent an enemy was a foolish idea in the extre. Despite, or rather, because of her backgroundPallass, Izril, needed people like her on their side.

No. But Grimalkin wasnt about to let this drop. Hed had more than enough ti to collect all the evidence in the world. Even if nothing was definitivethere was a glut of tertiary information hed have to be blind to ignore.

The [Sinew Magus] could not, would not just sit on it. He was a [Mage], yes. But also a [Soldier]. He had fought in the Antinium Wars and other conflicts. He had already acted on the information hed gotten a bare two hours ago.

He wished hed stayed at The Wandering Inn in hindsight. But then againGrimalkin turned his head.

Excuse . But I believe our tour of Pallass isnt completed. By all ans, let us investigate your friends device later. Perhaps tell about it as we walk. Howeverwe were speaking.

He addressed a pair of Humans. They looked up at him. Leon and Troy hesitated. Then they recalled that Grimalkin had personally offered them a tour, and the coins they were so eager to spend.

Whatever you say, Magus Grimalkin.

They looked giddy. Grimalkin smiled politely. And he glanced back at Erin. Attack her from the front? Ridiculous.

When you fought the enemy, you always went for the weak points. Grimalkin watched Troy and Leon marvel at his city, exclaiming. There were traitors in every war. And this wasnt even war. You could buy what you wanted. Depending on the person.

Where were we? Well, your friend is an example of what Id like to know, gentlen.

The [Sinew Magus] strode with Leon and Troy. He watched them, noting how they glanced at each other.

Thatstricky.

Im sure it is. However, I do know that you and yourgroup have co from Magnolia Reinharts estates. Which indicates you have told her sothing.

The [Sinew Magus] saw Troy gulp. Grimalkin did not need to loom. He just needed to exist. He looked at Leon.

The Reinharts, as mbers of the Five Families of Izril, are not always the allies of the Walled Cities of Izril. Quite the opposite.

Leon wavered as Grimalkin looked at him. The bag of coins was very heavy; Grimalkin had given it to him instead of a bag of holding on purpose. Leon tried to rember if Magnolia had ever given him that much money aside from when hed first t her.

Lookwere just travellers. Were not taking sides.

Of course I understand that. Which is why Id like to incentivize you. That bag of coins? Consider that a free gift. And of course, Pallass is open to you. Grand Strategist Chaldion can arrangeanything youd like. Rooms. Company. Artifacts.

The two looked up at him. Leon looked around surreptitiously.

Whatdo you want? Theres so stuff we shcant talk to you about.

Troy nodded emphatically. The Drake was prepared for that. Grimalkin checked his notes.

Aside from anything of pertinence? Let us call it a free exchange. Obviously, secret. Especially from Miss Solstice. Nor is this an exclusive arrangent.

Really?

Of course not. Im paying you for information. Thats all. Im particularly interested in your reaction to Master Felkhr. You called him a pioneer. Lets begin with that. And of courseyou can decline to answer at any ti.

Leon looked at Troy. Hed never really had a chance. Grimalkin had gone with the straight offer. He would have changed tactics as needed. But he didnt need to. Slowly, the young man nodded.

Okay. We couldtalk.

Excellent. Then, of course, well continue our tour. After that? Drinks. I know an excellent restaurant.

Not Tails and Scales, obviously. Erin frequented that establishnt. Grimalkin had a magical book with one thousand pages, enchanted to look like the slimst of journals. Standard for Fissival [Mages].

Of course, hed filled up two with observations on Erin. Notes. Theories. Now, the [Sinew Magus] had a fresh one and a magical quill from Wistram that auto-copied dictation. He did so love proper docuntation. And this would not be theories.

He prepared his first manual for submission to Chaldion and made a ntal note to ask for one of Pallass high-ranking officers. Female, with charm Skills unless they were like Rose. Another question to ask. But first things first. He underlined the first heading.

Flight.

Now. Tell everything.

Authors Note: Perhaps its not exactly the slice-of-life you imagined. Perhaps its more than you dread. Or maybe its just weird.

But here we are again. I changed up my lineup to write this chapter. Was that a good idea? Sotis its okay to be spontaneous. And its a shorter chapter!

Well, under 20,000 words, which is rare! Hope it was worth it for you. An interesting noteof all the things I planned, besides Grimalkin, bicycles, and so onKevins scene going down the ramps was sothing I had in my notes since last year, I think.

I think you can even see it when Erin focuses on the ramps going down from Pallass. Anyways, thats the writers side of things. Hope you enjoyed the readers side! Things are happening. And sotis it does feel like plots drag on. Then againGrimalkins note-taking has evolved.

Changes by the chapter. Let know what you think and thanks for reading! Todays artists are Brack, with new art including posh-Mrsha, Too with so amazingly wonderful art including the ritual with Miss Califor, and cmarguel, whos done a post-fight /brack

Erin by cmarguel!

Posh-Mrsha and more by Brack!

Califors Ritual and more of Toos art!