World Sphere - 175 - Snowhaven

Chapter 175 - Snowhaven

The city of Farin was in the middle of a wasteland.  As we passed far overhead, dead trees and burnt ground surrounded the walled city.  We circled briefly as there was no challenge to our arrival.  Only two skyships were docked in muddy water outside the gates.

Sana was with me on the bridge and commented, “Looks a little more run down since I was here last.  A single dungeon supports the entire city.  The wastes surrounding the city are dangerous as well.”

“Should we skip the city?  Find another city to get the region’s maps?”  I asked.  I was concerned because the quality of the two skyships below was not impressive in my telescopic sight.  The Maelstrom would stick out and might be a target.

Sana didn’t reply immediately, studying the city below, “It was an independent city last time I was here.  It could have changed rulers since then.  I concur.  We should not stop here.”

One of the skyships took to the air below.  It was clearly headed toward us. I didn’t wait and had the Maelstrom head north quickly.  We left the city behind, and the skyship that attempted to intercept us.  The skyship didn’t look like a warship; perhaps it was only coming to greet us.  Still, I felt better not risking it.

I took the map that had Farin on it, and there was a city out of the way, but it appeared to be part of a kingdom according to the map codes.  I plotted our course, and at our speed, it would only take two hours to reach the alternate destination.

Remy joined us on the bridge, and while we waited, Remy brought me the first sketches of the new micro skyship.  It was closer to a skiff in size.  A forward pilot seat with a bench seat directly behind the pilot for up to three.  Two small wings with the runic stabilizers had a small cockpit for one phantom cat each. Remy had made them large enough to accommodate full-grown phantom cats.

The sketch was eighteen feet wide and twenty feet long.  “It is too big, Remy.  I need something that will easily fit in my dimensional space on the first floor.”

“Give me dimensions to work within,” Remy said, exasperated. He was clearly proud of his first draft.

I opened my dimensional closet, and a doorway appeared on the bridge the size of a normal door. I invited him inside.  Sana also took the opportunity to step inside, her curiosity overcoming the possibility of me saying no.  Sana was impressed, having never been inside my dimensional closet, which was now closer to the size of a small house. “Storme, this is the biggest dimensional space I have ever seen.  Is it a tier-three dimensional closet?  What is its level?”

“Just level 24.  The space got a decent boost at level 23.  It has not been leveling much recently, but it is still slowly growing with my aether core.  Remy, let’s measure the first floor.” I said. Sana climbed the stairs to the second level of the space, which contained the bedroom, library, and enchanting station.  The first floor was more of a store room and was packed with food, weapons, enchanting materials, and supplies for delving.

Sana searched the titles in my library, and we measured the space.  It was twenty-six feet deep and twenty-six feet wide, but the supports for the second floor were only ten feet apart.  This meant the craft could only be ten feet wide at most unless I wanted to redo the wooden platform in the space completely.  The clearance was also only eight feet.

As I discussed with Remy, Sana came down from upstairs, “Storme, I am jealous.  Have you anchored the space?”  She was referring to the fact I could anchor the space to an object in the world and close the access door behind me.  That way, I would not find myself in the air as the islands orbited the lowlands and moved away.

I smiled as Sana wormed information out of my abilities. But I didn’t mind bragging, “I did.  I also have an air recycler evolution and two evolutions to slow time when it is unoccupied.  Time passes one hundredth as fast, so I can effectively store potions and ingredients.  I don’t think I will be able to reach level 29 for another evolution for years,” I informed Sana.

Sana humphed, “Most mages are lucky to evolve their dimensional space to level thirteen in their lifetime.  Your bottomless aether is a huge advantage.  It would be best if you tried to get it to level 29.  Learning the spell so young has naturally expanded this to the size of the tier four variant of the spell already.  You only have about a decade before your aether core is fully mature.  What is your aether pool currently at?”

I grinned at Sana, not willing to give her that information, “More than when you were my teacher.  But I will not tell you.”

Sana returned my smile, “Good, you are learning.  I am your friend and ally, but you offer too much, too freely.  Why didn’t you stop me from entering your sanctum?”

I started to reply and then stopped.  I knew I was trusting of people.  Some of them took advantage of my trust, but I was fine with it as long as they remained true to our friendship.  “If I don’t trust my friends Sana, eventually I will be alone.  My ability has surpassed them, and it would be lonely at the top.”  I think my comment struck a little too close to come.  Sana looked like she had been struck, realizing something herself.

Remy took the awkward moment to gather his sketches and leave my dimensional space.  He now had the maximum dimensions so he could redraft his ideas.  Sana was quiet for a moment before stepping out of my dimensional space onto the bridge.  I followed and closed the door.  Sana seemed to be thinking.  Finally, she said, “After we get back to Skyholme, I will tell you what I have been spending a lifetime working on.”

That was all she said as she left the bridge.  I had always been curious about what she had spent hundreds of years focusing on.  The city of Crenia was in a small bay. A good number of sea ships were docked. By the intricate rigging, you could tell they were sea ships and not skyships. Skyships had much simpler sails. This city also had numerous farms stretching around the city. I was alone on the bridge and couldn’t find anywhere to land.

Slightly worried that this was another bad place to land, I was getting ready to try the capital of this Kingdom instead. That would be just a twenty-minute diversion. Sana came on the bridge and looked down, “Are you going to land?”

“I am uncertain about the safety of this city. I don’t see any other skyships.” I informed her.

Sana went to the map and turned it to the back. “Not surprising. There are no dungeons on the map within two hundred miles. According to the map, this Kingdom has a good standing with the Adventurer’s Guild. We should be safe. Land outside the gate there,” she pointed.

I moved the Maelstrom to land and descended cautiously. The city had some modest activity to meet us as we landed. Five men and ten soldiers rode out to meet us. I walked down the ramp, leaving everyone else on board. The man at the front of the reception party rode out to meet me.

“Welcome, Captain! I am Calryn.” He bowed.  “Are you here to trade or just recharge your crystals?”  The official had dark blue robes and an authority about him.

“Just a recharge. But I have business in the local Adventure’s Guild Hall.”  My words disappointed him, and I think I understood it. I was guessing this city had neither a dungeon nor a portal. It had little access to goods elsewhere in the Sphere.

“We can escort you to the Guild Hall,” the man jumped as Bleiz appeared next to me. Bleiz was announcing himself because he was not going to let me go alone.

“That will be fine.  Do you not get many skyships here?” I asked as we started walking.

The robed man did not amount and instead walked with me while the other mounted men served as an escort.  “Usually one every few days.  We try to show you captains the hospitality you deserve.”

“In hopes we return again in the future?” I guessed.

The man chuckled, “Yes, it works, and a number of traders have added us to their route.  We have excellent beer, whisky, and fresh fish for exports.  Based on the size of your craft, I doubt you are a trader, though. Also, you are headed to our modest Adventurer’s Hall.”

“How much for a cask of your best ale?” I asked.

“I can have them bring you samples.” He snapped his fingers, and one of the riders who had been close enough to listen galloped off into the city.  “We have two breweries, and both have fine ales.”

We arrived at the Adventurer’s Hall, which was a modest building with fewer than a dozen men and women in the common room. Bleiz got some studying stares as he was the only non-human I had seen in the city.  I was about to go to the counter when the runner returned with two men in tow.  My escort introduced the two.  “Dewy and Xavier, our city’s two master brewers.”

Each man presented a bottle to me.  I took them out of courtesy.  The first bottle had good fizz to it, and the beer foamed as I broke the seal.  It was a mild beer, but not bitter in the least.  I was not a connoisseur by any assessment.  “Do you sell your beer in bottles of casks?”

Dewy answered eagerly, thinking he might get a sale, “Casks.  Forty gallons each.  Eight gold per barrel.”

The other man countered, “We sell casks as well, ten gold, but our ale is darker and richer.”  I cracked his bottle and agreed the darker, thicker stout was richer but had a hint of bitterness I generally did not appreciate.  I motioned for Bleiz to try each of them as I thought.

“Can you provide them in bottles instead?  I have a restaurant and would prefer this method of serving them to patrons.”  Both ales were equal to what Mera was brewing, but we struggled with demand since the islands opened to free trade.

The first man, Dewy, spoke first, “Bottles are half a gallon, but there is an added cost with the glass and bottling.  Twenty silver per bottle would be the best I could do.”  That was twice as expensive as the casks.  I guessed we could sell them as a specialty beer for twice that.  The foreigners to Skyholme were free with their coin.  The Frost Mead was now going for almost a gold for a similar-sized bottle.

“I can match that price per bottle,” the other brewer offered, even though his beer was more expensive in casks.

“How many bottles do you have available at this time, and is the quality consistent?” I asked.  I was drawing attention in the Hall from the adventurers milling about in the room.

Dewy had 120 bottles, and Xavier had 300 bottles.

I made my offer, “Eighteen silver per bottle, and I will take your entire stock. I will order another 1,200 bottles of each brew as well at 16 silver each. How long will it take you to prepare?”

The two brewers discussed my offer briefly. Xavier had a more intricate and costly brewing process. In the end, it was decided that he would get 17 silver and Dewy 15 silver for the large order. Xavier spoke for both of them, “We accept and can complete your order in a month.”

“Excellent. I will repeat the order every month as long as the quality is maintained.” Their eyes bugged a little. I realized there was a lot of profit to be made at these off-dungeon cities that people seemed to ignore. I paid the brewers 460 gold on the spot. It was a sizable sum for this city. There was some modest dungeon-related inflation in cities with nearby dungeons.

Everyone left happy, and Carlyn thanked me for visiting Crenia. I thought Remy would be impressed with my skills. Getting a skyship out this far from Skyholme would be a minor inconvenience, but I was thinking about a possible trade route. The receptionist at the counter watched the interaction and smiled as I approached. She was a gray-haired woman, but under her loose clothes, her body was well-muscled. She introduced herself, “Guildmaster Marla. You must be from the skyship by all the attention you are getting. How can our little Gulid Hall help you?” She was all smiles with bright white teeth.

I presented my copper captain’s card. “Maps. My maps do not extend to the Ice Pick Mountains. I am looking for the new town forming around the dungeon up there,” I told the Guildmaster.

The woman’s brow furrowed in thought, “Must be Snowhaven. We don’t have the maps available. But I can get a mage in here to connect with another guild and have them ported here for a cost.” I should have gotten the maps in Myththorne rather than go through this. I called Remy on the comm stones to get the numbers off the maps, as we already had one board. Then, I spent almost twelve hundred gold on additional maps to fill in the area from here to Snowhaven.

Marla completed the paperwork, “It will be a few hours to complete your order. Do you have any quests you wish to turn in? Or will you be picking up any new postings?”

“No, we are just stopping in Crenia. I am testing the trade goods. I may expand trade if it goes well.” I explained.

“I watched your interaction with the brewmasters. You certainly made their day.” The door to the Guild Hall burst open, and Aelyn. Maerlyn and Captain Delilah entered. The three elven women, especially Delilah, wore her polished armor, and got some stares.

Aelyn seemed bored, “There is absolutely nothing to do in this city. How much longer are we staying?”

“We are not on vacation, Aelyn,” I said with a smile. Aelyn went up to the bar in the Hall and ordered an ale. I sat at a table with two local Adventurer’s. I talked with the two men, who were very genial. Most of the postings in the city were escort requests and dealing with farmer’s problems. Usually, some tier-one creatures damage through fields or livestock. It was a very boring city, but I supposed it was a much safer place to live than Skyholme.

The maps arrived in tubes, and we returned to the Maelstrom. I would have them epoxied to create sheets in a larger city. For now, I just wanted to pick up Sana’s friend and get back to the Black Spire. The ale had been delivered to the hold, and Remy secured it.

With Remy, I plotted the course for Snowhaven. It was only half a day at our best speed. We lifted off and headed on the course. The Ice Pick Mountains were impressive. They extended miles into the sky on the surface of the Sphere.

Sana was on the bridge. “Dragon,” she noted, and I scanned the distance.

A small black speck in the distance. I focused my telescopic sight, and I was able to see the creature. “It is green,” I said. Don’t have a reference for the size.

“Greens are foul of temper. Most mountain ranges of this magnitude have a number of dragons. They are very territorial. Your ship can outrun them, but don’t let them get close, or they will tear your ship apart in seconds.” I nodded and remembered the damage the Sky King had done in his black dragon body.

I started to alter the course to approach Snowhaven from a different arrival direction, giving the green dragon a wide berth.

We almost missed Snowhaven. The small town was buried under the snow and was only composed of twenty or so buildings. It was definitely not a city. At least there was another skyship inside the town, also buried under the snow. The town had people bundled up, walking from building to building. The Maelstrom sunk four feet into the snow.

Everyone was in the cargo hold as the ramp struggled to lower into the compacted snow. I used my thermostatic aura around me, heating up the air in a halo out to two feet, rapidly melting the snow. The snow retreated from me as I squeezed out the ramp and walked around the Maelstrom. I was soon walking in mud, and the area was completely clear around the ship. Paths of packed snow led between the buildings, and my crew waited for me to finish before we walked into the town together. My thermostatic aura spell reached level thirteen, and I evolved it to extend the range to four feet.

The extended range was welcome to Aeyln and Maelryn, who had no defense against the cold weather. Sana and Captain Delilah appeared to have defenses against the weather, and Bleiz had his natural fur. As I walked into the town, I melted the snow, widening the paths but turning them into a muddy mess.

A dwarf in leather armor stood in our path, “You think you are helping mage? The puddle you are leaving behind is going to turn to ice and make walking treacherous.”

I used my assess person ability on him to gain his name.

“I apologize, Dordoic. I thought I was helping. Where is the Guild Hall, good dwarf?” I asked, pulling the range of the spell to just keep Aelyn, Maerlyn, and myself comfortable.

His eyes narrowed at me using his name. He was trying to puzzle out if we had met before before deciding I had used magic on him, making him more upset. “That is the problem with mages. They never think. Just throw spells trying to impress everyone.” He shook his head and pointed at a building before stomping to a different building in the snow.

My group made its way to the large wooden square building. We entered into a large common room that would fit in any Adventurer’s Hall in Skyholme. The room was packed with delvers. At least, I assumed they were delvers, as I doubted there were many other postings up here in the middle of nowhere.

“Sana, is that you? You actually came to this frozen tit of a mountain.” A gnome standing at no more than three feet in height yelled from a table, standing on his chair. He was playing cards with two humans and an elf. The pile of coins in front of him was five times the stack of the next person.

Sana broke into a smile, “Toblan, surprised they have not chased you from this little piece of paradise.”

“Sorry, boys,” the gnome said, sweeping up his coins. “Gotta go see what my old friend needs of my extensive skill set.”

The gnome waved us to a back room, and we followed him. A rough table had some uncleared dishes. I used my cleanliness spell to clean the plates as we all sat. A waitress came in and paused a moment at the cleaned plates before taking them away. The gnome ordered some food.

“So Sana, what job do you get for me?” The gnome grinned, making me glad all my coins were safely stored in my dimensional space.

Sana introduced me, “Toblan, This is High Mage Storme of Skyholme. He has a vault that has been sealed for two thousand years and needs to be opened.”

The gnome assessed me, deciding what he could get out of me for his services. Negotiations were about to begin.