Warrior of the Void Book 1, Chapter 39

Even in the early-ish morning, the area outside of Ul’dah was warm. Just shy of unpleasantly so even. Thankfully, rather than a sprawling slum, what stood right outside of the Gate of the Sultana was a winding paved road leading into the distance.

“To recap,” Kofle called out as their birds plodded along at a slow pace that still outsped the merchants walking on foot around them, “We’re headed for the crossing. Then to Horizon, we have nearly a bell of nothing there, and then we’re off to the Blackbrush station with another caravan. Once we’re there, we head back to the city by foot by grabbing food at the Coffin and Coffer for the railway station workers. We should be back in Ul’dah in the late afternoon, early evening… How’s riding chocobos by the way?”

“Pretty nice! A lot more stable than I’d have thought, what with them only having two legs, but they know how to handle themselves.” Muur replied happily, giving the chocobo a little scritch around the ear.

As expected, the old girl thrilled under the attention, “don't get too used to it. Porters are much smoother rides than a chocobo you'd want to have as an adventurer. Mine was a menace to my ass honestly. Couldn't help but bounce me up and down all over, absolute nightmare to deal with… probably because I was a shit rider starting out. got better as the Moon started to grow bigger.”

All in all, a single word applied to this trip: pleasant.

It was early enough that there was only a slight amount of traffic. With the merchants that worked late into the night and the early risers having already dealt with their wares for the most part, the pair had lucked into the exact period of calm that came before the trickle of people coming and going out of town could become an endless stream.

Their surroundings themselves weren’t anything to write home about. The same as the rest of Thanalan as Muur had seen it. Dry yellows and oranges, cut through with a few splashes of greenery here and there. Still, there was something in the air. A sort of scent that she couldn’t quite place despite feeling uncannily familiar…

The Au’Ra didn’t have to wonder for long, not when the pair reached the edge of the plateau Ul’dah was built on, “Welcome to Western Thanalan Muur.” Koffle said, stopping her mount with a pull of its reins.

Under them were large natural steps, each about as tall as a one story building. Connecting them was a large ramp, framed by stairs on each side. A few crumbling walls here and there told her that these terraces had once been more than they were now. But there were no ruins that could enlighten her as to what exactly they had been used for.

At the bottom of them all was a large camp, some three dozen tents encircled by sturdy wooden palisades. She could just about tell they were manned in some way, thanks to the shapes that moved along their lengths. Though, it didn’t appear to be a military installation of any sort.

Further beyond, the land was scarred. From where she stood, it wasn’t easy to tell. But there seemed to be some sort of large canyon, its jagged cliffs splitting the land in half… It wasn’t what really caught her eyes though. What did was the blue sea that she could spy through the broken landscape.

At once she realised that the smell she couldn’t place had been the sea’s. Pure and unburdened by the pollution of her previous life, no stench of diesel and rotten fish fouling it up… The other thing she noticed were giant constructs that looked suspiciously like oil wells.

She may need to retract that previous statement soon enough.

“I have no idea what these are,” Following her friend’s gaze, Kofle looked over the strange structures,  “They weren’t there five years ago.”

“I’m pretty sure those are some pumps writ real large, but what they’re doing there I have no idea.” Muur replied with a helpless shrug.

“Maybe they found some ceruleum over there?” Kofle offered half-heartedly, before urging her bird forwards once again, “Something to ask people about once we’re at the Crossing I guess.”

Muur did the same, Marigold quickly catching up to the younger bird and allowing the two adventurers to keep on chatting about inane things as they made their way down. Barely five minutes later, the pair was at their destination. Marigold and the other nameless bird stopped right besides the gates. The one that had carried Kofle barely reacted to the cat slipping off of it, though it did linger around for a quick scratch.

Muur’s ride though, pulled herself all the down to the ground, letting the Au’Ra dismount just as easily as she’d mounted the old lady. “Thank you, Marigold. Have a nice trip back.”

Marigold kweh’ed softly in response as she rose back up. One affectionate headbump later, she was off, leaving the two adventurers to their own devices, “We’re still pretty early,” Kofle said as she walked into the walled trading camp, “We probably have… half a bell? Maybe a bit less, you’re in the Alchemist Guild right?”

“Ayup. Didn’t bring the funny onion with me, but I may collect some stuff depending on what we run into.” Muur replied with a bob of her head. Granted, for future escort jobs she may brew potions while sitting in a cart, but she just plain didn’t know any recipes other than for Ethers and magic gunpowder. Much less materials for them.

“Onion? –Oh, the alembic, right,” The camp was rather large, with the numerous large tents that dotted the insides serving as indications of the big name currently doing business. Of course, they weren’t alone. Anywhere she looked, she could see smaller entreprises loading and unloading their products, or hashing out deals with each others, “If you’ve got your proof of membership, you might want to take a look around. Never know what you’ll find here, might be cheaper than usual too. At least if you buy in bulk.”

“Don’t really have a lot of room to store it, though.” Muur chuckled awkwardly. She had her backpack and that was about it. 

“Might still find some neat stuff,” Kofle told her with a shrug before walking off, “I’m gonna go see if I can find our boss for the day. Cya later.”

Surprisingly enough, Muur did in fact find ‘some neat stuff’. At first, it looked like the only things on display were crates of reagents, fabrics and even potions. Materials and finished products in bulk, as Kofle had said. However, that changed when the lizard wizard saw a man sell an impressive looking set of chainmail and plate armour by its lonesome, “Usual buyer didn’t care for it,” The Elezen merchant selling it had told her when he’d noticed her looking at it, “A shame. That there is an Ishgardian templar’s armour. Fresh off the forge– wouldn’t do you any good I’m afraid miss. But, if you’d be willing to direct your swordsman friend my way, I’d be happy to sell it to her at a thirty percent discount. Damn thing’ll only take space I could use for more spices.”

After that, she began to notice things. The merchants rarely managed to sell everything, leaving a product or two that they were eager to get rid of– often at a steep discount, just so they could say that they didn’t lose money on bringing them to Ul’dah. Or so that they can turn a terrible deal into merely a bad one.

“Well-well,” A voice called out from the side as she looked over one such leftover, “Didn’t expect to see you here, Miss. Much less wearin’ the order’s robes. Wouldn’t happen to have some more kumis I could trade for, would you?”

“Haha, I’m afraid not.” Muur chuckled warmly as she walked over to the first friend she had made in this world right and proper, instead of just being given to her by the mechanics of that damn book. “Things have been hectic lately, although now that I’ve joined the Alchemist’s Guild I’ll probably have the time and space to start seeing if I can find any decent substitute for the horse milk in it.”

“Joined the Alchemists just so you could have a taste of home and sell it?” He asked with a smile that made it obvious he was only teasing, “Why that’s downright pious in the eyes of the Twins! But enough of that, how has life been treating you in these few days? You look far healthier than last I saw you lass.”