Shalin, p.27
Shalin, page 27
She plucked up the pen and began to write, speaking idly to the air as she did, “It can be such a hassle to find services in the city. I wonder if there's any way I might find instant conveyance to Argent at my earliest convenience.”
His wife set down the pen and the servant bowed again, briskly sweeping over to offer the tray to Dare. He read what she'd written: “Spring salad red vinaigrette, wild capon on toast, raspberry sherbet on lemon cake.”
There was no menu, and those were some of her favorite dishes . . . had she just asked for whatever she wanted in the expectation they'd be able to supply it?
Well, if they had food storage chests with the preservation enchant, or dimensional pockets with their airless space. Or hell, even portals, although that would probably take longer than a hungry highborn was willing to wait.
Still, there were ways they could have any sort of food desired on hand.
Dare was tempted to see just how good they were and order something incredibly exotic, but didn't want to see what that would do to the bill. So he just went with what sounded good at the moment. “Epind steak, rare, mashed potatoes with gravy, buttered pease, chocolate cheesecake.”
The dusk elf withdrew, and Dare sipped his brandy and browsed the history book. “So you just speak your need to the air and the universe answers?” he asked wryly.
“For a price,” Leilanna said with a grin. “Assuming it's there to be found.”
He hoped so.
Another couple strolled into the library, immaculately dressed high elves who looked almost too perfect to belong in the world. “I've not had the pleasure, I believe,” the man said with flawless diction as he and the woman settled down together on a loveseat. “Guests to our fair city?”
“Quite,” Dare replied; Leilanna shot him a dirty look when the new arrivals weren't looking. “Salnamar'ala Manora of Havanos'Osirian,” he continued.
“Allelina'linilana,” Leilanna said in a mellifluous voice that touched his ears like a caress. “My paramour and I are setting out on an adventure to Argent. Please excuse him if he comes off as boorish.”
Ouch. He supposed he wasn't ready for polite elvish society just yet.
The dusk elf swept in with their orders; holy shit, that couldn't have been more than five minutes . . . did they have the dishes already prepared and stored in preservation chests?
The servant leaned in to murmur in Leilanna's ear, and she brightened. “Good news, my paramour. Our query has a positive result.” She took a bite of her salad. “I'm afraid our meal will be cut short.”
“Quite,” Dare said, earning another refined glare from her. He did his best to hide his smile as he cut into his steak and took a bite; even in such an immaculately formal high society setting like this it could be fun to tweak his fiery wife's ears.
Although he immediately forgot the game as the taste hit his tongue; holy smoke if that wasn't the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten. And he'd helped level up a high level Cook, who made gourmet food that would be literally impossible to duplicate on Earth, without the benefit of the ability system, magic, and the specialized ingredients that could be found on Collisa.
The Cook was now the most popular member of the Crusade, although apparently even she had room for improvement judging by the steak he was eating.
The couple stood smoothly, collecting a few books. “Best wishes for your adventure on Brelia,” the woman said in a melodic voice as they strolled out of the room.
Once they were gone Leilanna glowered at him. “What kind of asshole says “quite” in response to a question or comment?” she demanded.
Dare shrugged and swallowed his bite of incredible steak, grinning at her. “I thought that's how rich people talked.”
“Rich assholes,” she muttered as she lifted her toast to her mouth. He started to reply and she glared. “And before you say what I know you're going to, bear in mind we're rich too.”
He chuckled and cut another bite of steak; even after all these years, he relished the opportunity to tease his dusk elf wife. And in spite of her apparent pique he could tell she was trying to hide a smile too; it was one of their favorite games. “Actually, with all our resources going to our organization we're dirt poor,” he pointed out.
“Pfft, we can make it back in a flash.” She leaned forward eagerly. “A Phasewarper is available who can take us to Argent. We have an appointment to meet him in an hour at the Tarthal portal courtyard.”
“Awesome.” Dare motioned at the lodge around them with his fork. “We should come to this place for all our needs.”
“If you want to be bankrupt in a week,” she teased. He opened his mouth and she glowered at him. “Yes, we're already dirt poor. I didn't forget what we literally just talked about.”
Singing that could've come from an angelic choir filtered in as they finished their food, then strolled from the lodge, through the immaculate gardens, and down the path to pick up Koru. He did feel a bit wistful as he looked back up at the shining white walls.
It would be nice to have more time to spend at a place like this. And money. Although preferably they could make such a perfect refuge for themselves where his family could find comfort and peace.
They'd have that opportunity when Malin was defeated. And now he had hope that Marigold and Marcus would be with them to share that delightful dream.
Bless his devious gnome consort for finding a way to reach out to them. He wasn't sure what their relationship would be after she'd lied to him and brought this trouble down on their heads without warning, but he longed to see her and their son.
“How was it?” Koru asked as she joined them, looking pretty relaxed herself; apparently even attendants got pampered here.
“I saved you a piece of cake,” Dare told her.
Their banter was interrupted at the gate leading into the city by another of the refuge's staff, who presented a tray with a gilded note. “For your consideration,” she murmured.
He took the card with more than a little trepidation, which proved founded as he did his best not to let out his breath in a whoosh. 103 gold. As in five years wages for an average laborer. For a stroll through the garden, a gourmet meal in a library, and accommodations for Koru for less than an hour. And finding the Phasewarper and arranging travel on short notice, he supposed.
The refuge really did cater to the obscenely wealthy.
In spite of the exorbitant price, their brief visit did leave him feeling more relaxed as he paid up and they made their way down to the portal courtyard near the docks. Maybe there was something in the air, or the atmosphere they fostered within those pristine walls, but it felt like a dream as he looked back on it.
Leilanna may complain about elves focusing on the superficial, but they'd done something incredible with that refuge. For a price.
Speaking of prices, the waspish old man who could take them to Brelia demanded 800 gold, no haggling. Given Dare's eagerness to get Koru there, so she could make portals back and the Crusade could begin searching for this Phoenix Shipping, he accepted immediately.
And hey, if they were really hard up for gold they could always have his orc wife make portals to other continents for wealthy elves as a source of income.
The irascible old Phasewarper immediately began casting the portal, which given the distance involved would take almost an hour to complete.
Dare and his wives settled in impatiently, anxious to get to Argent. He knew it was unrealistic to expect that he'd stride out of the portal and immediately find a clue that would lead him to his gnome consort and son, but he was taking their first step towards them.
Soon, he hoped and prayed, the family would be whole again.
Chapter Thirteen
Silver City
Argent, the Silver City Beneath the Dome, was so aptly named it was almost on the nose.
Since monsters could drop coins as loot, precious metals were far more abundant on Collisa than they were on Earth, and could potentially be limitless. Because of that they were used far more often as building materials by the super wealthy.
The obvious example being the Royal Palace in Harald City, where just about every surface was plated with gold or silver.
Argent took it to a whole new level, though. Silver was far more common than gold since lower level monsters dropped it, and that had allowed them to cover the entire city with the stuff. Roofs, walls, streets, squares, courtyards, everything in view. Even many of the citizens walking the streets wore cloth-of-silver.
It had probably still cost a kingdom's ransom, but Argent was one of the most centrally located and prosperous ports in the world, and they could afford it.
Two things struck Dare the moment he stepped out of the portal: the first was, of course, seeing shining reflective surfaces everywhere he looked, creating a dizzying kaleidoscope of images. And the second was the fact that the entire city was covered by a dome of delicate glass or crystal held by sturdy struts, with thick silver-plated columns rising at regular intervals closer to the city center to help support the vast weight. The glass and crystal allowed sunlight to filter through in prismatic fragments that only enhanced the ethereal beauty of the place.
Also obviously pragmatic, since an entire city of silver would tarnish with the first rain. Even so they probably had to polish everything frequently, or more likely covered the silver with some sort of clear lacquer or polish that protected it.
“Wow!” Leilanna murmured in awe as she stepped through after him, Koru following close behind as the portal winked closed after her. “Lily's hair would fit in perfectly here.” His dusk elf wife snickered. “If she let it down, from behind it would look like her top half wasn't there.”
Koru grunted in amusement, although she looked amazed as well as she looked around. “How has nobody plundered this place? Or petty criminals simply stripped silver off some surface while nobody was looking?”
“I'm sure there's a reason.” Dare looked around. “The city looks pretty flat . . . should we walk around so you can get a view of the entire place?” The more of Argent Koru saw, the more of it she'd be able to portal to.
“If it's a view you want . . .” A flutter of wings heralded the descent of the most striking woman Dare had ever seen.
Unlike other harpies who only had feathers on their wings, tail, and the feathery fringe that served as their hair, she seemed to be completely covered by them. Or at least all of her that was exposed, considering she wore a white tube top and pair of shorts that hugged her lean figure.
Her plumage shone in all the hues of fire, from pale yellow to red, with hints of blue on her wingtips and the tips of her shoulder-length hair fringe. Her tail was so long that it would trail behind her on the ground for a few feet, although she kept it raised and fanned out like a peacock's, showing a hypnotic swirl of fiery colors that was breathtaking in its delicate complexity.
She was also taller than most harpies, only a few inches under six feet, and majestic in her bearing. Her figure was somehow more lush than that of other harpies as well, with full breasts, wide hips, and a perfect round ass and curvy thighs. The short, delicate feathers on her face revealed a noble sort of beauty with high cheekbones, large eyes with an orange color like roaring flames, and full lips.
Leilanna's eyes shone with wonder as she looked at her. “You're a phoenix!” she exclaimed eagerly.
The woman laughed lightly. “That's what my kind is called. Although we're still harpies, and if we have any relation to the immortal firebirds and their monster counterparts I have not heard of it.” She ducked into a low, graceful bow, fanned out tail fluttering above her in a beautiful display. “Welcome to Argent, friends. I'm Lisa, friend of Carlotta.”
They all perked up eagerly at that. Dare didn't wonder how she'd recognized them through their illusions, or for that matter known they'd be here. Carlotta was the Greeter of her Goddess, the Angel of Beauty Serafia, and so would have access to knowledge others wouldn't.
“Do you have news of her?” he asked eagerly.
Lisa smiled beatifically. “She fares well, and is happy beyond words at your daughter together, Ilsa.”
Koru made a delighted sound. “Is she the most beautiful harpy in the world, like Carlotta predicted?”
The phoenix laughed, her mirth rich and warm with fondness. “She certainly believes so. And the girl is beautiful, although not the otherworldly beauty of her half-brother Nolan.” She smiled at Dare. “Who is also faring well, as I'm sure you were about to ask. He's flying now, and talking up a storm. The darling of the Flower Fields.”
“Tell me more of Ilsa,” he said, feeling a pang that it wasn't safe to visit her as long as Malin was hunting his family. “Is she healthy and happy? Is she growing well? What does she look like?”
Lisa rested a flame-colored wingtip on his shoulder, fiery eyes shining. “Perfectly healthy, as happy and bubbly as any baby I've ever seen, saying her first words, and walking and on the verge of flying. She's a gorgeous dappled black and white on her feathers, with white skin, black hair, and blue eyes.”
He could practically see his daughter, and his heart ached to hold her. To be in her life. “Thank you,” he said, blinking away a blurring in his vision.
The beautiful phoenix smiled and brushed his cheek with her wingtip. “Your fight is not mine, and I won't aid you. But I wanted to see you and give you news of ones who mean much to you. And I can at least show you around the city, and give you the comfort that you have a friend in Argent.”
“That's aid enough,” he said. “And more than I would ask.”
“Mmm.” Her wingtip brushed along his jaw and across his chest, and her fiery eyes danced. “Maybe I can think of some way for you to make it up to me . . . Carlotta had nothing but praise for your night together.”
That was definitely a tempting prospect, although as beautiful as she was right now Dare's full focus was on finding Marigold and Marcus. “Is there some place we can see the entire city?”
“Indeed there is,” Lisa said with a quiet smile. “Would you like to see it from above?”
Koru snorted. “I think you might have trouble lifting him.”
The phoenix laughed outright. “We've built ladders and walkways for the ground-bound, so they can view the beauty of our fair city. There's even a luxury cafe at the apex of the dome, where people can eat while marveling at Argent spread out beneath their feet.”
He knew of restaurants like that back on Earth, although he'd never had a chance to visit one. It would be nice to try it now, especially since it wouldn't delay them in their task. He glanced at his wives, who nodded eagerly. “Count us in.”
Lisa flapped gracefully into the air, swooping around them. “Good, 'cause you're paying!” She veered away, fluttering towards the nearest wall of the dome. “Come on, I'll lead you to the closest ladder!”
The ladder was actually a proper stairway, complete with a separator for people going up and down. The walkways were wide and inviting as well, with safety railings that allowed people to look down over the shining city without risk of falling. They were obviously intended for tourists, clean and in good repair.
And silver-plated, of course.
Lisa flapped around them as they climbed, occasionally perching at the tops of ladders or ramps to wait for them and keeping up a constant chatter. She wasn't the only flying person in the city by any measure, with hundreds of shapes of all colors and kinds fluttering above the streets and finding convenient perches on high rooftops or on the dome.
Maybe they were drawn by the city's shine.
“How do people treat you here?” Dare asked their phoenix guide as she winged around the ladder he was climbing, wingtips playfully brushing his back on every pass.
“People treat phoenixes well just about everywhere,” she replied cheerfully. “We're harbingers of good fortune and prosperity. But if you mean how are most races treated here, very well. Argent is a cosmopolitan center of trade and culture where all are embraced and treated fairly.”
She hesitated, glancing at Koru in her bovid illusion. “Well, almost all,” she amended apologetically.
His orc wife merely grunted; she didn't have a great opinion of most of her kind either, given how they interpreted their god's commands as an excuse to live as plunderers and warmongers.
Surprisingly, Leilanna rested a protective hand on Koru's back. “Their loss,” she said fiercely; she had as much reason to hate orcs as any after what raiders had done to her family and caravan as a child, but she'd come to love Koru as fiercely as any of his wives, and was always angry on her behalf when others judged her.
The higher up they went, the better they could see just how huge the city was. Easily miles across beneath the dome, with some of the palaces and administrative structures closer to the center rising several storeys and taking up entire city blocks. It had to house a population of at least a million people, and that was just beneath the dome.
Looking out the other way, they saw suburbs and smaller coastal communities stretching to the horizon. Not to mention the glittering expanse of the ocean, beautiful and breathtaking with schools of flying fish, dolphins, and whales visible.
Come to think of it, aquatic life probably bred and grew to adulthood at an accelerated pace same as the other non-intelligent creatures on Collisa. It probably made fishing and whaling incredibly productive.
“I can see the whole city from here,” Koru said when they paused for breath on a broad bench-lined landing for Leilanna's sake, taking out a seafarer's telescope and using it to inspect the city below as well as everything visible on the other side of the glass. “We can stop climbing.”
Lisa's face visibly fell, and Dare looked up towards the peak of the dome. “We don't have much farther to go,” he said. “Besides, we sort of promised Lisa a meal.”
The graceful phoenix beamed. “And you'll be able to get a better look at the entire surrounding area from the restaurant . . . it has a wraparound platform with dining tables that command an amazing view. And all glass, so you can see the city below as well.”
