by Sarah Lin
Of course, the entire city was filled with Tatians, living packed even closer together than in the villages. With that many people, Theo knew that the character of a place changed. There would actually be thieves and swindlers there, though along with them came industry, foreign goods, and services that simply didn't exist in the dull villagescape outside.
Some of the Tatians seemed utterly shocked, as this might have been their first time seeing a city. Famaj started giving them warnings about not greeting everyone on the street and not being able to trust people, but Theo ignored him. Instead he looked to Fiyu, who was wincing and covering her ears even though they had only just entered the outskirts. He really needed to teach her to soulcraft that defensive chamber.
They left their packbeast by an enormous gnarled tree with other packbeasts twined around it. Though some in their group wanted to explore and others looked shocked, Famaj led them all forward without any delay. Theo thought that was just as well, since he wanted to get his bearings and understand the terms of their school, but he soon found Fiyu shadowing him. She flinched away from the cheerful crowds but also didn't want to touch him.
After a moment of thought, Theo undid one of the straps on his pack and extended it to give her something to hold. It was little more than a safety blanket, but she clutched the strap and followed him closely, as if he could shield her from the exuberance of the crowds around them.
In a city the size of Myufuru, they weren't greeted aggressively, yet it was still an explosion of humanity far beyond any of the small villages. Theo was glad when they reached one of the wooden gondolas and headed directly upward. With the wind whistling around them, he felt slightly cool for the first time since entering Tatian.
Their path took them arching over the entire city to one of the highest hills. It broke the usual pattern of mixed equality, surrounded by a wall of living stone that looked like it could actually repel an assault, for all its gentle curves in the patterns of trees, plants, and flowers. There was an inscription over the entrance archway below, and fortunately he could read the looping characters: Myufuru Landguard Village.
Only one word of that mattered: Landguard. As little as Tatian focused on soulcrafting tiers, even they couldn't deny the huge gap between the third and fourth. Theo had met a few Landguards and none of them had been fools: if there was a serious attack, the Landguards acted as the military. In other worlds they would have been a ruling caste, but on Tatian they simply served all nations and villages equally.
There was one problem: he'd been told that the nearest Landguard was months away. At first he'd wondered if "Village" was a euphemism for a fortress, but as they slid over a mostly empty compound he reconsidered. Perhaps this was a headquarters and storage facility used by Landguards without any currently being in residence.
Before their gondola landed, he made sure to build a mental map of the area within the walls. The front gate had a normal village square surrounded by stacked huts that likely served as housing. Staircases led from it to clusters of kitchens, orchards, and stonesmiths, but also downward into what appeared to be a tunnel. Their gondola led them to an upper square with fewer staircases, some leading to a fortified building... and one to a vast tree.
Their gondola was attached to the middle boughs of the skyscraper-sized tree, which cast shade over the entire compound. They stopped before drawing too close, but he could see staircases had been carved into the side, leading up to a softly glowing peak. Lines of sealing staffs had been driven into the lower trunk, generating a Landguard-class barrier. None of them would be walking in there... that barrier could probably endure a full assault by an army of Farmguards.
He had no more time to examine the landscape as the gondola rapidly descended to the upper courtyard. As the door opened, he was surprised to find the area empty, but a bright head of hair began bobbing from one of the stairs as an old man approached.
Immediately Theo hesitated, letting others go ahead of him, but he couldn't say exactly why at first. The old man coming to greet them appeared to be simply a first tier soulcrafter, yet something wasn't right. Glimpsing his soulhome was a little too easy, slightly too straightforward. He might be a simple Farmguard... or he might be a soulcrafter powerful enough to have built a shielding wall.
"Welcome, welcome!" The old man spread his arms wide as if to hug all of them, and followed up on the threat with a few of the Tatians. His arms made Theo think of tree trunks despite being in the shadow of building-sized trees. "Oh, we're so glad to have you here! This place has been empty for too long, but all of you are changing that!"
"I'm glad to see you well, uncle." Famaj matched the old man's hug, then pulled back, all smiles. "Friends, please meet my dear uncle, Nanjuma. He is the head of Myufuru Landguard Village."
"Which isn't as much of an honor as it once was!" Nanjuma laughed at himself and turned to all the others, his hands on his hips. "But when we heard about all these brave soulcrafters and hopefuls, everyone agreed that we would be best able to welcome you. With your help, we should all be able to defend our communities better, and you should find a way back to your own worlds soon enough!"
"Why isn't this fortress in active use?" one of the Fithans asked. Nanjuma shook his head, then began to walk, demonstrating vigorously.
"You see these grounds? This village was established for the sake of some very valuable sublime materials, but those have fallen out of favor, just a bit. Everyone wants flamefruit these days, but our orchards are mostly duskfruit. Not in high demand, but too valuable to replant. But over that way, we have a mine growing perfectly serviceable stones, perfect for beginning Farmguards. I'm glad they won't go to waste."
Theo tucked away those details for future consideration, as he still had no way to sense sublime materials himself. Duskfruit were one of the few sublime materials on Tatian that weren't as warm and friendly, so while they didn't fit into his immediate plans, they were worth keeping in mind. A supply of stone would also be essential for building a solid first tier, so those were encouraging facts.
Nothing at all about Archcrafter materials, however, and though not many noticed the absence, he could practically see the thought in the way Magnafor shifted his weight. The other human managed to hold back at first, while Nanjuma continued to show them around the enclosed village grounds. It seemed that they were the fourth group to arrive, with several more expected, but most of the others were currently in the city itself.
"Though you are free to explore the orchards," Nanjuma said, "we ask that you take few sublime materials. We will give you plenty of them in time, but there aren't enough for any to be wasted. Please take a Farmguard with you if you enter the mine, simply so you don't accidentally damage any of our stones. Nowhere is off limits except the upper offices of the main building... we keep the Archcrafter materials there, and you'll be winning those soon enough!"
Normally Theo would have been incredulous that the old man would reveal the location so naively, but he suspected that Nanjuma was more than he seemed. Behind his barrier wall, Nanjuma was likely a Ruler, and not a newly ascended one. If he began releasing his cantae, he could likely flatten all of them instantly. The fact that he'd been put in charge of the facility by Landguards meant that he couldn't be naive about other worlds, either.
"What about the big tree?" Magnafor asked. His tone was utterly casual, but there was something hard in his eyes. Nanjuma met it with a smile.
"Those are the Landguard private quarters and vaults, and they sealed it after them when they moved. For your own safety, please stay away from the barrier. There isn't anything dangerous within, but sublime materials that are too potent can be dangerous on their own. If you don't already know that, well, heh, we'll have classes for that soon enough."
"Right, got it." Magnafor turned away, still too casually. A few of the Fithans stared toward the tree as well, but Nanjuma's twinkling eyes observed them all carefully. Theo turned away as if more interested in the mine.
He
had to admit that he understood their interest in the bound area. The Archcrafter materials offered as prizes were still valuable, but they were nothing compared to the third or fourth tier sublime materials that might be within the Landguard area. Of course, none of them had a way to take down the barrier and it would instantly alienate their hosts even if they managed it.
In an ideal world, that might make sense to do in time. Fully soulcraft a foundational tier with the freely given materials and become an Archcrafter, then steal the rest. Higher tier materials could be converted down, but one lesson Theo had learned previously was that this was ultimately inefficient. Even Stronghold materials forced down to the very first tier weren't quite as good as the right materials native to that tier. But taking everything found within would pave the way through later tiers in a way that was normally impossible.
The presence of someone else returning from Earth, and potentially thieves from other worlds, made him reconsider that plan. Others might be planning heists and Nanjuma would be alert for the potential attempts. Getting out with the sublime materials wouldn't be easy.
"We won't begin classes until all the groups arrive, so you have some time to adjust to Myufuru." Nanjuma led them into an office, but only long enough to pull a set of sacks from a desk. He began tossing them to each student as he continued speaking. "You'll be given food, lodging, and sublime materials, but we want you to be comfortable here. Consider this stipend thanks for your work with us so far. Please, use it to enjoy the city!"
Theo caught the sack and nodded thankfully, resisting the urge to count his money, since that would be seen as contrary to the spirit of generosity. Many of the others immediately checked and compared, and though Nanjuma continued to smile cheerily, those eyes seemed to absorb it all... he definitely wasn't a man to cross.
With the money distributed, their orientation seemed to be over. Famaj led them to some of the empty rooms and invited each student to choose one that suited their fancy. Since they all seemed identical - bed, desk, cabinet - Theo picked one that was defended from exterior attacks but also had a nearby exit. He left his pack to claim ownership and headed out.
Now that he was finally free, it was time to take what he could from the city.
Chapter 8
On his way out, Theo scouted potential allies. As usual, Navim required special accommodations, though it seemed like the Landguard village actually had a special place near the mine to house Mundhin. Famaj had taken a room near Theo's, but seemed mostly interested in talking with relatives in the city. That left him free to explore the city, though he decided to track down Fiyu first.
Predictably, she had chosen a room deep in the women's building, far from the others. When he arrived, she was pinning sheets of fabric over the windows to block out as much light as possible. As soon as he neared the door, she shifted toward him and smiled.
"Hello, Jake. Are you going to go into the city?"
"I was thinking of it." He stayed outside of her space and just leaned against the door frame. "Do you want to come?"
"No, I do not. Would it be possible for you to purchase something for me? When I was thrown here, I lost a tool called a spirit lantern. It is designed to store and repurpose cantae from sublime materials, do you know it?"
"Yeah, I think I've seen those before. They should have something similar here, so if you'll just give me the money..."
Fiyu frowned and regarded him as if puzzled. "If you return with the spirit lantern, I will give you the money then."
Though he felt a flash of irritation that she didn't trust him, Theo realized he was being too human. On Ichil, his offer would never have been taken at face value, and he was asking her for a level of trust that wouldn't be given even to some family members. The fact that she had asked him at all was a positive sign, or at least he tried to take it that way.
"Alright, I'll look for your spirit lantern. I'll be back later this evening."
"Thank you, Jake. I will be here in my chambers."
He nodded and turned away, almost wishing that he'd given her his real name. It didn't really matter, though, especially given the limited trust between them. Instead of worrying about that, Theo counted his money and considered his highest priorities as he left the village.
The amount of money he'd been given was limited, and even combined with what he'd earned on the journey, it wasn't enough to buy sublime materials, at least not those of the quality he needed. That meant he'd need to rely on what he could earn directly from the Farmguards, which was more or less what he'd expected. He'd spend part on Fiyu's spirit lantern, pick up a few items he could use himself, and otherwise save the rest.
There were Farmguards at the entrance gate to the Landguard Village, ordinary soulcrafters but with fully built first floors. If demons attacked, he doubted any of them would falter in confusion, though they likely dealt with more ordinary problems in the city. They checked everyone, but already knew him by sight and merely waved to him as he went through.
A large Tatian city included countless potential diversions, none of which Theo had time for at the moment. Other potential soulcrafters from the school were also leaving at the same time and they might well take the tools he needed. Theo asked a few people on the street, focusing to use the local dialect, and was soon directed to a soulcrafter district not far away.
Once there, he looked through several stores and eventually found one that struck him as professional. They sold a gourd lamp that would serve as a spirit lantern, as well as a high quality spirit hammer. His chisel was better for wood or detail work, but he'd be working with heavy stone soon. The two cost more than he'd intended, and the customary bargaining process was aggravating, but his old instincts came back and he managed to get out of the store without being robbed.
As he started to return, he noticed a group of Fithans in the street. They weren't the ones who had come with him from the village, and beyond that they were a different species. Theo wasn't an expert on Fithe, but he knew the world had at least two major species. Those he'd met before had bluish horns, whereas this group was hornless with a reddish coloring.
What those differences meant, he didn't know, but it was clear enough that they were potential soulcrafters at the same school. More importantly, they drew his attention to a building that he'd completely ignored on his trip out. It was a finely crafted wooden structure with three stories, filled with windows to draw the eye to its real product.
Prostitutes framed themselves in the windows, both women and men. Their robes were more form-fitting than scanty, and the overall atmosphere was more warm than alluring, but the intent was obvious. This had clearly been what the Fithans had been looking for, so they crowded in, receiving a warm reception.
"You're an outsider too, aren't you? You don't look familiar..." A young woman leaned out from one of the ground floor windows, her curious expression suddenly giving way to a beaming smile. "Wait! Famaj said there were a few travelers from really far away who risked their lives to save a village. Was that you?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess I was one of them." Theo realized that he'd mostly forgotten this aspect of Tatian: prostitution was essentially not stigmatized, so long as it was done in a way that supported the community. It wasn't considered as healthy as marriage - or lovebonds or whatever saccharine term they used - but it was common once you got out of the tiny villages.
"Would you like to come inside? I'll give you a good rate if you tell stories about your home world!"
Theo considered it for only a split second. He had limited money and time, and this would be a waste of both. Even if he had been tempted, he remembered that the word was "warmthgivers" which was so irritatingly euphemistic that it left him repulsed by the whole idea.
"Thank you, but I need to get back to the school to work."
"Okay! Have a nice day!" She gave him another cheerful smile and looked back to the street, humming a pleasant tune to herself.
With a quick shake of his head, Theo put the i
ncident behind him and headed back. He realized that even though he had a young body, he didn't feel like a horny teenager. In fact, seeing the young woman just made him feel like a tired old man, which he was in a sense. As much as he tried to forget his years on Earth, they had included a few relationships and a disastrous marriage.
It was easier not to think about that. He turned his thoughts back to his work.
Back within the village, he found Fiyu in the middle of soulcrafting, but her shadows faded as soon as he opened the door. Her mouth twisted nervously, so he simply tossed the spirit lantern to her. She ran her hands over it studiously, then she beamed.
"This will be sufficient. Thank you, Jake."
"No problem."
"What was the price?" Fiyu's face fell as she picked up her sack of money. "I... wish to be properly cautious, but I do not know what such a thing would cost in this world."
"When you're outside your home environment, you have to trust someone until you learn." Theo gave her the real price and she paid it with only a little hesitation. Though it seemed that she was busy, when he started to leave, she spoke up again.
"My relative had given me a number of sublime materials, so there is much work I can do. But when I have finished my current projects, I am... uncertain about the materials of this world. Do you think the teachers will be able to assist me?"
Theo shrugged, though he wasn't sure if the movement got through to her. "I'm sure they'll try their best to help you, so the real question is if they'll find anyone who can. I think they'll call teachers from further away, so maybe some of them will be experienced world travelers."