Potato Style

"So, there it is. Do we still want to visit?" Mike asked the group as the city of Wathmit finally came into view.

The imposing and heavily fortified settlement stood at the intersection of two rivers. Just from casual observance, it was obviously designed with defense in mind. It seemed to have been constructed initially on top of a large hill in the triangle of land between the rivers, but eventually expanded to incorporate much of the low-lying area in the region.

Tall, sturdy walls surrounded the lower portion of the city, which included small outcroppings of fortifications on both the eastern and northern shores. The buildings inside, at least those visible from their vantage point, appeared to be somewhat ramshackle.

The higher section of the city, which was built on the apex of the hill, was protected by an even more robust wall. While still in good repair, there were places, especially on the western side, that looked to have been damaged in battle.

"I'd heard that people from Wathmit were the most warlike out of all the Riverlands folk," Sera grumbled, "but this looks more like a fortress than a city."

"It is by necessity, if rumors are to be believed." Morris replied to her unspoken question. "The recognized territorial boundary for Mirithia starts a few kilometers to the north, making it the closest city-state to a hostile foreign power. Since it's located on the juncture of two major rivers known for their easily navigable waters, it also holds a great deal of strategic significance for the region. I believe it's been attacked several times by both the Mirithian elves and other city-states seeking to claim their territory, but so far it has never been taken by siege."

Sera frowned at that. "Didn't the elves capture it for a while a hundred years ago or something?"

"Well, sort of. In that particular instance, the Mirithians hired a group of human mercenaries to infiltrate the city before they launched one of their usual raids. When the elven army laid siege, the mercenaries overwhelmed the defenders around the western gate, and allowed the army in. This resulted in one of the worst massacres the Inland Sea Region has ever seen, but a portion of the Wathins did manage to retreat to the inner city, where they held out for close to three months before reinforcements could arrive from Gildusi."

Mike was only half listening to the history lesson, as he kept the majority of his attention on the city in question. It took some effort, but he could use Aerosense to get a feel of its layout, and what he found was slightly unnerving. From a distance, Wathmit didn't look that well organized, but when viewed from above, it became apparent that virtually every aspect of the city's planning was designed around the principle of confounding invaders.

The streets were laid out in confusing patterns that nevertheless left any major thoroughfare exposed to fire from carefully concealed rings of defenses that culminated in the upper city, which was little more than an overgrown fort. There were several well-protected granaries and food stores where provisions could be secured for long sieges, and water was provided by dozens of wells within the walls, despite the city's close proximity to large rivers. A variety of siege weaponry, and extensive armories occupied much of the walls themselves, and there were several hundred guards patrolling their length despite the heat of the afternoon.

[If they are this wary of invasion, I doubt we'd receive a warm welcome without revealing who we are to some extent.] He thought to himself before glancing over at Tal.

The elf noted his gaze and seemed to offer a reassuring smile in response, although it took the form of an almost imperceptible lifting of the corners of her mouth.

[Well, the non-human members of our group could just wait it out in the demi-realm, but that seems like a bit of a waste…Maybe we could just skip over this one?]

He turned to face the rest of the group, whose outspoken members were still in the middle of discussing the finer points of obscure historical trivia, and cleared his throat. "Ahem. On second thought, maybe we should move on from here. Based on appearances alone, this city feels unwelcoming to strangers. Not to mention how they'll probably treat Tal."

"Well, they are a center of trade, despite their appearance, so I doubt they'd be completely unfavorable to visitors." Morris rebutted half-heartedly. "However, you are right. I don't think that would extend to elves. We'd need to show off at least a little political or financial clout in order to even get her into the city. From there it would probably be difficult for her to do much more than hide out in our lodgings in order to avoid harassment."

He frowned for a second before continuing. "Of course, there's not much of interest in Wathmit beyond its unusual history. Indeed, I believe it has something of a reputation for boorish and undignified culture with little of social significance outside of martial pursuits."

Sera shot him a dirty look. "I think what he's trying to say is that there isn't much worth visiting for, so we can probably just stop in to quickly register with the local Adventurer's Guild, gather information about the nearby dungeons, and move on."

"And we really only need a party representative for that, right?" Mike asked after a second of thought.

"...That's right." The Oracle replied hesitantly. "Although I'm not entirely certain it's a good idea for you to go by yourself. The Wathins can be a bit touchy, and you have a tendency to get wrapped up in other people's business without really trying."

"Fine, I'll take Morris. He seems interested in going anyway."

The bard nodded his agreement before he could stop himself. "Ah, well, there are a few things I wanted to check out, mainly in the market district. This is about the only place in the world where a human can get access to Mirithian goods."

Mike opened the door to the demi realm, allowing everyone else besides Morris to enter. Despite the chance that they would be trapped if something happened to him or the doorknob that served as a key to the realm, they'd decided that this was the safest option when Mike wasn't around to fend off their stronger enemies. Until they'd taken care of the vampire situation, this level of precaution was deemed necessary.

"Alright, ready?" He asked once the portal was closed.

Morris sighed deeply. "I guess so…Are you sure there isn't a less embarrassing way to do this?"

"Sure there is, so long as you don't mind walking over there or showing up on flying creatures of some kind."

His friend glanced over in the direction of the city. The city which happened several kilometers away. Several kilometers of dense forested hills that would take hours to cross on foot.

"Fine." He muttered finally. "Let's just get this over with."

"I'm not sure what you are so worried about. It's not like anyone can see us." Mike shot back while picking him up and throwing him over one shoulder. "Isn't that right, Audra?"

A half-hearted chirp from his pocket was the only response he got. She'd been sulking ever since he'd made her turn back into a dragon, but he was concerned about what would happen if the wrong kind of people caught sight of her human form. Since it was either this, or staying with the others, she reluctantly agreed to return to her normal shape for the time being.

[You'd think she'd be more comfortable this way…]

"It's the principle of the thing." Morris interjected. "Are you sure there isn't any other way to apply your stealth skill to other people?"

"There might be. I've seen a couple of skills that seem to block detection on more than one person, but I certainly don't have one. Maybe when my skill improves that might be an option, but for right now, I can only apply stealth to those in direct contact." He replied while lifting off into the air. "Now stop talking, I'd hate for you to bite your tongue."

A short flight later, and they were standing alongside the road a few dozen meters from the gate. Thankfully, there wasn't much foot traffic at the moment, so they didn't have to worry about being spotted by passersby as they simply appeared in the middle of the route.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Mike asked once his friend was able to stand without wobbling.

"Can we not talk, right no-?" Morris started to ask before doubling over for a second. Judging by how pale his face was, he seemed to be doing his best to hold back the contents of his stomach. Finally, after a few deep breaths, he straightened. "I think I told you last time that you need to take it easier on us when you do that."

"I'm pretty sure I was. It took close to thirty seconds to cross that distance, when I could normally cover it in five or less."

"Well, from now on you need to go even easier. Not all of us have a Tier 4 constitution. Hells, I think the embarrassment from being treated like a sack of potatoes was the only thing that kept me from passing out."

Mike shrugged. "Alright, I'll try to take it down a level next time, but you know, you'd be in a much more stable position if you let me carry you in my arms-"

"Save it for the girls." The bard cut him off before he had a chance to finish.

Chuckling, Mike led his friend towards the city gate and joined the line to enter. Strangely enough, there was a long wait to even see the guards, despite the light traffic they'd encountered up to this point.

"Some kind of traffic jam?" He muttered while observing the situation.

A voice from behind answered his question. "Tis something to that effect, lad."

He glanced over to see an aged and heavily tattooed dwarf standing with several others of his kind. They were all dressed in dirty, threadbare clothes and were only carrying a few small personal items with them.

[Refugees of some kind?] Mike thought before asking, "What do you mean?"

"The Wathins are a mite cautious of strangers right now, what with the problems out west. They've increased security at the gates, and have been checking everyone passing through very carefully."

"What's happening in the west?" Morris injected, looking deeply concerned. "Is that why you are here?"

The dwarf gave a long-suffering sigh. "That's right, lad. My kin and I were driven from our home by the calamities that struck the western highlands."

Mike shot Morris a questioning glance, so the bard leaned over and explained. "To the far west of the Riverlands, the forests transition into a mixture of rocky mountains and grassy steppe lands. The region is home to a number of nomadic tribes as well as several clans of dwarves. Normally, the Inland Sea Region doesn't have much direct interaction with any of them, but there are some trading contacts through Falstad."

He turned back to the dwarf and asked. "What calamities? What has driven you from your home?"

"All manner of misfortune and strife, lad. It began as a long drought which turned the grasslands brown and choked the life out of our crops. Then came the fires. The worst any of us had ever seen. Waves of flames sweeping across the steppes faster than a grown dwarf could run. It was all we could do to hold out until they passed. We were the lucky ones, though. Thankfully, most of our clan's hold was built underground, but many others were caught in the open and burned alive."

Mike frowned in thought. Based on what he knew from Earth, it was pretty normal for wildfires to spring up in grasslands, especially when the weather had been particularly dry, but this sounded a little too intense. Maybe there was some other factor exacerbating the problem?

"That's certainly a difficult situation," Morris muttered sympathetically, "but I am surprised that was enough to drive a member of the Kolgar clan from your ancient homeland."

The dwarf started in surprise. "I did not expect a human to recognize my clan markings."

"Why should I not know of the wise rulers of Mount Kolgan, protectors of the Gate of Oparthi?"

"Ha!" The dwarf laughed derisively. "Perhaps a few centuries ago we could claim that title, but it has been many long years since one of my kind sat on the Jagged Throne. No, ever since the accursed Granos betrayed us and stole our home, we have been forced to eke out an existence on the edge of the grasslands. At least until we were driven here." His voice became quiet, almost defensive as he finished his statement.

Morris's face hardened. "That...is concerning news, to say the least. Perhaps once we entered the city we could buy you and your family a meal. All I would ask in exchange is that you tell us in more detail about the troubles that brought you to the Riverlands."

The dwarf squinted at him for a moment before nodding. "Aye, lad. Tis a fair bargain. My kin have not had a decent meal in a great while. If all you ask in exchange is the words of an old man, then who am I to deny you?"

"Very well, it is a deal."

After they shook on it, Morris returned to Mike's side and whispered. "I'll explain in a moment. Things just got more complicated."