by Ian Rodgers
“Good. Truthfully, that’s all we really need you for,” Pallo said kindly. “You should focus on getting ready to negotiate with the lizardfolk.”
He turned to Sistia and nodded at her. “Would you please take Jellik to the town hall? I believe there are some documents and other items he might find useful to browse.”
“Certainly,” she said, nodding back, before turning to me. “Come on, Jellik! We have a trader’s permit for Xocxotl you can borrow so you can pass through the gates, as well as a map to the place once you get inside.”
I bounced excitedly and followed Sistia back towards the town hall. As I rolled off to gather the things I would need for my trip to Xocxotl, I paused, then slapped myself with a tendril.
“What?” Sistia asked, looking at me in confusion.
“I forgot to remove the hill I made in front of Clover Patch’s gate!” I cried, feeling incredibly silly. The female leader of the Soul Oozes coughed in a futile attempt to hide her laughter.
“Well, nothing you can do about that now,” she said, and I sagged.
“The mages they have there should be able to do it. Hopefully.”
.
“Here, before you go.”
It was dawn, and I was raring to go. Valen had come to see me off. He had been a big help yesterday with explaining a few things I’d need to know in order to get to Xocxotl.
The head of trading and defending passed me a leather pouch, and I opened it, curious. Inside were dozens of small, square cut scales. Some of the scales felt rough, others smooth, and not all of them were the same color. A quick examination with the help of Tara identified the origin of the scales.
“Crocodile and snake skin? And… the scales of Wyverns and Hydras?” I uttered, surprised.
“The lizardfolk and kobolds don’t use precious metals for their coinage. Instead, they carefully cut and preserve the scales of reptiles and Lesser Dragons. Snakes, crocodiles, and the scales of other non-magical reptiles are their version of copper coins. Wyvern and magical reptile scales are like silver, and Hydras and more powerful draconic beings’ scales are treated as gold. And if you ever happen to find an actual dragon’s scale, that’s the equivalent of a platinum coin,” he explained helpfully.
“I see. Fascinating! Thank you, I this will help a lot,” I said gratefully, closing the coin purse and slipping it into my Dimensional Pocket.
“Well, then, I suppose it’s time to go,” I declared after glancing at the rising sun. Rosa fluttered over to me and perched atop as usual.
I had forgone my usual disguise in favor of remaining in my spherical form. It was easier to move fast while like that, and it was surprisingly aerodynamic. Not to mention pretending to be a human while trying to get into a place that might be going to war with mankind was a bad idea all around.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, and hopefully with good news,” I announced. “And Valen? Be sure to keep Katherine safe.”
The Soul Ooze nodded solemnly. “Of course. I would never let anything happen to her.”
I bobbed, pleased. Then, I swiveled around and faced the western horizon.
“Time to fly, Rosa!”
(WHEEE!) the Carbuncle cheered from her seat as I shot into the sky. (I am so glad I made you learn how to do this! So much faster than rolling or walking!)
I laughed and agreed whole-heartedly with the sentiment. This mode of transportation was somewhat costly in terms of mana, but the speed and view I got from it were definitely worth it.
As the green hills rolled away beneath us, I offered a prayer to the Divine Family that I would be successful.
And although it faded as fast as it had appeared, a faint sense of comfort washed over me as I finished my prayer, and the scent of lilies suffused the breeze for a moment.
Chapter 16: City of scales
According to Valen and the maps they’d made and procured, the city of Xocxotl was a week away from Haven by foot. It was by far the closest of the lizardfolk’s settlements to the Orrian colonies.
Most of the lizardfolk and kobolds lived either in the great plains and prairie as warring nomads, or deeper south in a thick, lush jungle within great stone city-states. Xocxotl was originally a fortress to watch and fight the barbaric plains dwellers, but after the Veil of Mist fell and humans arrived, it grew in size and scope to handle this new potential threat.
Normally, getting inside would be tricky for a non-scaled person. I could pretend to be a lizardfolk by growing scales along my body, but that would only be a superficial disguise at best. I had no idea how a lizardfolk or even kobold acted. Pretending to be human was something I pulled off thanks to my familiarity with them. I couldn’t use that to my advantage here, though.
Humans were outright banned from entering Xocxotl, dwarves and elves were heavily monitored and forbidden from entering certain sections of the city, and Valen and the other Soul Oozes had only been granted the status of merchants after paying a hefty fee for the privilege. They made their money back quickly, though. Gold and silver flowed from the lizardfolk’s domains, as well as the valuable cocoa bean, the main ingredient in the newest food fad, chocolate.
Mmm, even thinking about that dark brown delicacy makes me hungry…
~Jelly, stoop drooling and focus on your flying!~
I flinched at Tara’s reprimand, which almost threw Rosa off my back. She smacked my head with her palms for that.
‘Sorry, sorry! Just got distracted thinking about chocolate,’ I apologized to both of them.
(Oh. In that case, it’s fine! As long as you buy me some as an offering later, that is!) Rosa said, trying to coerce sweets from me. I snickered but agreed all the same. It was good stuff!
~You’ll have to wait until we’re back in New Castella for that. The lizardfolk do not raise milk-producing mammals, and use cocoa beans as a medicinal drink rather than a source of sweets. Only the people in colonies make chocolate,~ Tara pointed out.
‘Something to look forward to, then,’ I said. ‘In celebration of stopping a war!’
(Yay!) the Carbuncle cheered, tossing her hands into the air in joy, only for her action to nearly wrench her from her seat on my back thanks to the outrageous amounts of wind streaming past. She squeaked and would have fallen had I not slowed down and supported her with a hasty tendril.
‘Maybe you shouldn’t move around too much from now on,’ I suggested, and Rosa nodded rapidly.
(Good idea!)
.
It turns out that a week by foot turns into only two days, as the Ooze flies. I had to stop and rest to recover my stamina, as the spell used for flying required using both magical and physical power together to soar through the sky. An annoying side effect, but using solely mana to fuel flight would drain even my vast reserves faster, so being out of breath despite not actually having lungs was something I just had to deal with.
But my complaints meant little, since I could see signs of civilization up ahead. Small hamlets and farmsteads dotted the immediate vicinity of Xocxotl. Great waterlogged fields dominated the farmland, reminding me of how Kine described Qwanese rice paddies.
The lizardfolk grew mushrooms, potatoes, and corn; the latter two had been sampled and regrown by the Orrians after tasting them. But the big lizards’ main crop was odd, and required wet, swampy conditions to grow. I shivered in disgust at the thought of it.
~I don’t know why you’re so against them, Jelly. I mean, you share similar characteristics with them. A dislike of salt, for one,~ Tara stated.
‘I do not leave trails of slime everywhere I go! Most Oozes don’t either! Also, I do not have creepy eyestalks!’ I retorted.
My anger only made Rosa and Tara laugh at me.
(Hehehe, you’re afraid of slugs!) Rosa cackled.
‘NO! I just think they’re gross!’
~It makes sense, though. Kobolds and lizardfolk are predominantly carnivores, with only small amounts of fruit, grains and vegetables needed,~ Tara mused, completely ignoring my
petulant reply. ~Finding ways to ‘farm’ protein is necessary when hunting is no longer viable for a large population.~
I shuddered again. Yes, the lizardfolk and their allies ate slugs. All sorts of slippery, slimy breeds of slugs! Oh, and insects too, but still. Slugs! Urgh, so nasty! At least Oozes have the decency not to dribble everywhere we go!
‘Let’s not talk about this right now,’ I begged.
~Fair enough. You should be focusing on landing soon,~ Tara said.
I nodded in agreement, and started my descent. Flying into a city was a bad idea. Any fortification worth the stone it was made from would have some form of defense to protect against flying invaders. The great walls of Sanc Aldet certainly did, and so did Manatrem, though they hadn’t worked against the magic resistance of the Wyverns that one year.
Still, I did not want to test the defenses and make people I wanted to like me, hate me, for accidentally invading them. I set down right at the edge of town, where all the hundreds of other merchants and travelers converged on the road heading toward Xocxotl’s gates.
Under the awed and disturbed eyes of the various travelers, I morphed into my bipedal form, but refrained from wearing any clothes or illusions. I was a Royal Ooze, and representing Haven. I didn’t have to hide who, and what, I was here.
I glanced around at the wide eyes and slack jaws and snickered. “What? Never seen an Ooze fly before?”
The various lizardfolk and kobolds sheepishly looked away, and Rosa laughed from her perch atop my ‘head.’ I joined the long stream of people heading towards the gates, taking the time to examine the passersby.
Lizardfolk as a species had a whole host of different sizes and shapes. Some had longer necks, and resembled snakes somewhat. Others had thicker scales and ridges with longer jaws, looking not unlike alligators and crocodiles. Newts, geckos, and other reptiles all seemed to be represented among the myriad clans and tribes of the lizardfolk. It was fascinating to see, honestly.
On the other pseudopod, the kobolds all looked more or less the same; scaled bipedal wolves with tufts of fur on their ears and tails. There were different colors for their hair and scales, but for the most part the kobolds were far less physically diverse than the lizardfolk. They made up for it by possessing much more magic, though. Compared to humans, a kobold had two to three times the average amount of mana, while lizardfolk had approximately half that of humans.
Of course, an average lizardfolk could crush stone with their bare claws, so I was fairly certain it would be a coin toss as to who would win in a straight up fight between humans and these scaled fellows. And that was a question I desperately did not want answered any time soon.
Speaking of fights, there were a surprising number of armed warriors walking along the road. Many of these weapon toting travelers branched off and left the main path, heading towards tents and teepees set up in the fields around Xocxotl. I had seen these from the air, and knew they were military camps.
As I approached the gates, lost in my thoughts and observations, a curt growl caught my attention, and I twisted my ‘head’ to look at the person trying to get my attention. I didn’t need to, of course, but mimicking the habits and body language of bipeds helped them feel at ease.
A lizardfolk guard wearing golden armor stomped over towards me hissing and growling in their language. I shared a look with Rosa before shaking my head with a shrug.
“I don’t understand you,” I said, and the guard grunted before clearing their throat.
“Identification,” it snarled out in choppy Common, and I summoned the merchant passport Valen had lent me and passed it over. It was a tablet made of solid gold covered in runes and pictograms.
The lizardfolk guard looked it over carefully, mumbling something which caused a few symbols on the slate to glow. Apparently satisfied it and having confirmed it was not a forgery, the guard handed it back.
“Cause no trouble. Otherwise, we bite you dead,” the guard said, snapping his jaw for emphasis before wandering off to investigate another traveler.
I returned the pass to my Dimensional Pocket and headed in past the gates, getting my first real look at the city.
From the air, Xocxotl was a city dominated by cyclopean walls and filled with ziggurats. Every other street had a step-pyramid, used for minor worship or stationing guards, while in the very center of the city was a much larger ziggurat, one that easily poked above the outer walls and towered over everything.
From the ground, everything had an odd sense of scale. Buildings and monuments were tall, but they were also bulky, which created an optical illusion of the structures being taller than they were from a distance, but looking much smaller up close.
As for the rest of the buildings inside Xocxotl, they were mostly squat, square things made of baked clay and mud. They rarely exceeded two stories in height, but were easily three times as wide as human buildings.
Everywhere, lizardfolk and kobolds were hurrying about their business. Quite a few were carrying weapons, and there was a simmering tension in the air. They knew something was going to happen soon.
‘Where do you think we should go to find Rikee?’ I asked Tara.
~Well, considering that the bigger the building, the more important the people who live in or use it are, the best bet would be heading for the giant ziggurat in the center of Xocxotl,~ she suggested.
‘As good a plan as any,’ I agreed. Destination now determined, we slipped through the crowded streets towards the monolithic construct.
Even from a distance, it was imposing. Glyphs depicting draconic beings and other scaled lifeforms dominated the surface. Even the steps of the ziggurat continued that theme, each one carved to look like scales. The central step-pyramid of Xocxotl ended up looking like a massive, coiled serpent as a result.
Up close, it was clear that the ziggurat had a myriad of purposes. Countless figures in simple robes scurried up and down it, while golden armored guards patrolled, armed with hefty obsidian warclubs.
As I approached, there was a disturbance behind me, and I was soon pushed to the side of the road, practically smushed against the wall of a building. There, marching down the street led by an armed escort, were dozens of lizardfolk and kobolds, clad only in ragged loincloths and with heavy stone blocks sealing their hands and feet.
This procession of prisoners moved slowly, forced to shuffle along due to the sheer weight of their earthen manacles, and was accompanied by cheers and jeers from the crowd which had made way for it.
‘What in the…? Tara, do the lizardfolk practice slavery?’ I asked, confused.
~Not to my knowledge. These might be prisoners of war, though.~
(What makes you say that?) Rosa inquired.
~Their physique, for one. Each of the bound individuals looks much more muscular than the civilians of this species we’ve seen so far. Not to mention, they are wearing remnants of what I assume is war paint.~
Looking closer, what I had first though were discolored scales on their faces and chests were in fact faded streaks of paint and dye. And, once Tara had pointed it out, these prisoners were bigger than the majority of the people inside the walls of the city. Only the guards I had seen patrolling the area could compare.
After a half an hour, the procession of war prisoners finally moved on. The huge number of captives all been taken down into a set of doors that had opened up at the base of the central ziggurat. Odd place for a prison, in my opinion.
With the way clear, I made my way towards the grand step-pyramid. As I got closer I was quickly accosted by guards who blocked the way.
“This is the Temple of the Coiled Serpent,” one of the guards said in scratchy common. “Explain your business here, squishy one.”
After mentally cheering that I had guessed the name of the ziggurat based on its appearance, I removed my golden tablet and Valen’s message to Rikee from my Dimensional Pocket. The guards tensed, but took them.
“I need to speak with Priestess Rikee,” I sa
id, hazarding a guess as to her occupation.
“The Magepriestess will be informed of your arrival,” one of the guards said after checking the note and slate, giving a slight stress to her proper title. I nodded, gratified, and one of the robed figures running around was sent off to act as a messenger.
“So, I saw the line of prisoners of war,” I said, trying to make small talk as I waited.
The guard snorted and nodded. “You did? Heh. Good riddance to those belly crawlers.”
“Odd place for a prison,” I noted, gesturing towards the ziggurat. The talkative lizardfolk let out a hissing laugh.
“Won’t be there for long. Soon be sacrifices.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, aghast. Before he could respond, the messenger they had dispatched hurried back, beckoning for me to follow.
I did so, but cast a concerned look back at the guards, who looked completely nonchalant about what had just been said. Something to ask Rikee about.
I was led up the stairs to the very top of the ziggurat. By the time I reached it I was almost panting from the exertion. I even got rid of my ‘legs’ and just slithered up the steps, it was so tiring to walk.
At the pinnacle of the gargantuan ziggurat, next to an ornate altar made of gold and rough-hewn basalt, was a wide, open doorway that led inside the structure. From it, dozens of figures came and went, most of them wearing the plain robes of the messenger I was following. A few wore much more fine and colorful clothes, and paths were cleared for them as they moved.
Inside the door was a staircase that led deep into the bowels of the temple. I did not get a good look, but from what I did see as I was rushed through, the Temple of the Coiled Serpent was used for everything from government offices to a school for training mages and priests. So much went on. It was busy, busy, all the time!
As for light, countless bronze and gold braziers hung on the walls, but instead of fire filling them, glowing chunks of yellowish-orange crystal were held within. Rosa was instantly attracted to them, and I had to physically grab her to keep her away.