The Gate Traveler

The next part of our journey to Azureas took us through a wooded area dotted with lumberjack towns. In contrast to the plains’ folk, who were open and friendly, the people here were less friendly and welcoming to outsiders. I couldn’t figure it out. Every one of them was at least a head taller than me, with shoulders as wide as a fridge. What exactly did they have to fear from me? But that’s how it was.

The first town came into view, surrounded by a tall log wall. As we got closer, a couple of guards stepped forward, looking like they could bench press a horse. One of them tightened his grip on his spear, giving me a look that said, What are you up to?

“What’s your business in Treefell?” the taller one barked.

I held up my hands, trying to look as harmless as possible. “Just a merchant. And a healer.”

The second guard, a big guy with a scruffy red beard, squinted at me. “Merchant, huh? That checks out,” he muttered, his eyes losing focus. “But healer? Yeah, sure.”

“Plenty of so-called healers roll through here,” the first one said, crossing his arms. “Prove it.”

Before I could ask how, red-beard shoved his arm at me. “Fix this,” he grunted, daring me to fail.

His arm was swollen, and a nasty bruise spread from his wrist to his elbow. I diagnosed him and discovered that he had a broken arm. I cast Heal Bone, and the bone fused. red-beard flexed his arm, testing it out.

“Hmph. Good enough,” he grunted.

They stepped aside, but I could still feel their eyes on me, full of suspicion.

“Welcome to Treefell,” the taller one muttered, though he didn’t sound thrilled about it.

“What about payment for the treatment?” I asked.

The tall one glared at me and said, “You can go in and forget about the payment, or continue on your way.”

I shrugged and rolled into town. Using the trees they chopped, they built sturdy, low-to-the-ground log lodges. The place had a rugged vibe, with big piles of logs everywhere. Looking around, I located the general store to offer my goods. The owner was even ruder than the guards were. Shaking my head, I decided to hell with them and just left.

Three days later, we arrived in Riverwood. This town didn’t have a wall around it, but many more guards eyed me suspiciously. They didn’t interrogate me, but kept a close watch on me. Next to the river, there was a marshy land where the town was located, and stilts supported all the buildings. The whole town seemed to float between the trees and the water, with bridges connecting to the only dry, solid road. The river was bustling here; logs flowed downstream, and rafts constantly moved in and out. The vibe was more relaxed, but the residents and guards were not.

I remembered the warning I’d read in the World Information about the flying serpents in our next world. I knew if I bought ready-made potions, Al would never forgive me, which meant I had to collect ingredients. From my experience in the previous swamp, I knew there should be plenty of snakes here. But there was the logistical question of what to do with the horses. I had no intention of leaving the core unguarded.

We left the town after less than an hour—I didn’t like the guards’ looks. We moved a few hundred meters away, and I made sure no one saw us, closed the wagon, and saddled one horse.

I said to Rue, “Wait for me here. I’ll be back soon.”

Changing my glamour and class into a Bard, I rode the horses back into town. This time, the security guards were less hostile.

Don’t like merchants?

Like almost everywhere, there was an area at the town’s entrance for horses and carts. I paid to house the horses for a few days and returned to Rue.

This marsh was different from Al’s swamp. No trees were growing out of the water in this marsh. There was more water near the river, where the houses were, but the rest was just thick mud. The trees here were also different; they were tall with wide trunks, not gnarled or twisted.

We couldn’t use the jet skis here, so we turned invisible and flew.

“Find us some snakes,” I told Rue.

“Yummy snakes!” Rue exclaimed happily.

“Yes. But poisonous yummy snakes. We need them for potions.”

“Poison yummy snakes!” The poison didn’t seem to dampen his enthusiasm.

Rue led me from one snake to another. I was right—quite a few were not too far from town. They were much smaller than the ones in the other swamp—maybe two or three meters long, not twenty—but they were very colorful in greens, reds, and yellows. I recalled reading somewhere that poisonous snakes are usually colorful, so I hoped I was collecting the “right” snakes. I didn’t use lightning, not knowing what it would do to the poison sack, but being invisible, it was a piece of cake to shoot them with a crossbow and store them. In five hours, I collected twelve snakes and facepalmed. I remembered the poison I had given Al that I collected in Tuonela.

I returned to town, collected my horses, and we continued on our way. The following three towns were the same. They looked different, but the guards were suspicious. The town’s folk eyed me wearily. The general store owner was rude, and nobody wanted a healer—their loss.

Finally, after two weeks of annoying lumberjacks, we exited the forested area and arrived at the north most city in Crystalholm, Famaris. Or in translation, Crystaledge—not very inventive. Two kilometers from the city, I found a trail leading into the trees, closed the wagon into a backpack configuration, and rode into the city on a horse.

Crystaledge shared some architectural features with Crystalspire, but was much more modest. The spires were still there, rising into the sky, but they didn’t have the same imposing grandeur. Where Crystalspire had intricate carvings and futuristic flourishes, Crystaledge’s designs were more straightforward and practical, almost like it wasn’t trying as hard to impress. The towers were less clustered, giving the city a more spacious, airy feel. There were still gleaming roofs and reflective surfaces, but they didn’t catch the sunlight quite as dramatically. The design of Crystaledge made it seem like it was built for living, not just for show, which added a little more grounded feeling to everything about it.

After a short inquiry, I found a quality skyrest and took a room there. It even had a balcony! Admittedly, the balcony wasn’t as cozy and inviting as my one at Crystalspire, but it was nice enough. The skyrest also had a stable, so I didn’t have to find a solution for the horses.

After a very enjoyable visit to the bathhouse and a delicious dinner that our butler served in the room, I checked the archive to see if Mahya had responded to the messages I sent through it, and I was taken aback. Well, actually, I was in shock.

The thread continued for a few more pages, but I stopped reading. I completely understood Lis. The only thought running through my head while reading was, “OOPS!”

Well, at least they smacked down Sonak. One day, I’ll punch that asshole in the nose and then electrocute his balls.