One aspect of the afterlife that Kairen wasn’t sure he would ever get used to was the inability to be noticed. He could sometimes pretend like he was still living, simply enjoying a quiet moment on the outskirts of a meal or evening gathering, but at other times his isolation was made blatantly obvious. Having people walk right through him wasn’t physically painful, but served as a rude reminder of his current state of being. It did have its upsides, the boy thought, as he sat on the ground in Zar’s house, watching as the man stormed around while holding a magical speaking stone. Kairen had arrived too late to get an introduction to whoever was on the other end, but the conversation he was eavesdropping on was enlightening, to say the least.

“Just rats?” Zar roared, clenching his free hand in frustration. “I’ve dealt with just rats’ before. Cleaning out rat infestations is one of the first missions the adventurer guild sends the newbies on. If this was ‘just rats’ I would have sent you dozens of rat shish kebabs two months ago!”

“And the nomads didn’t say anything about it?” The stranger on the other end of the device asked, his voice calm and in control.

Zar growled. “They were in a hurry to leave the second time I came here, and it didn’t come up at all the first time. Probably wasn’t a problem then, given how fast these fuckers repopulate. I’ve had Ramses collapse their dens twice and had him bring it all up to the surface once, and they still haven’t died off, wised up, or headed elsewhere. They’re definitely smarter than regular rats, and I think they might be starting to get a bit of magic in them.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me.” The man mused, and the sound of rustling papers was heard briefly. “I went digging in the historical archives after our last conversation, and it’s not the first time something like this has occurred. Well, something similar anyways. The famous Adventurer Suleman details coming across a lush garden in the middle of the desert, filled with all sorts of trees and bushes and with waist high grass filling in the rest of the space. Hidden away from first glance was a small pool, cast in shade by overhanging trees and filled with pure water.”

“Sounds like an Oasis to me. So what, did he turn it into a settlement, the predecessor of Savar or one of its sister states?” Zar grunted, urging the man to get to his point.

“Oh no, not at all. This is where his account gets interesting.” The voice on the other end of the conversation paused for a moment to build up tension, before continuing in an oratorical tone as he read a section from Suleman’s writing.

“The water we found might well have saved our lives, but I find myself unhappy about the hidden cost. What seemed to be a lush paradise at first glance had already been claimed, and the residents were not happy with our presence. Tigers, far more than I would have thought could reside in such a small area, but no simple beasts were these. A spark of unholy intelligence gleamed in their eyes when they chose to reveal themselves, and they possessed an uncanny sense for tactics, taking down and dragging off three adventurers whose competency I would have rated quite highly. There simply was nothing they could do against the apex predators, which were impossible to spot through the thick foliage until it was too late.”

Finished with the selected passage, the man paused for a moment, coughing to clear his throat before continuing in his regular voice. “He goes on with his thoughts, and towards the end he admits that it is only his speculation, but he believes that the tigers had some ability or magic to hide them from view, to prevent Suleman’s high level scout from immediately spotting the danger.”

“Damn.” Zar sounded half impressed. “That does sound like a hellhole and a half. Can’t say I’ve seen any invisible rats yet, not that that means much.”

The stranger snorted at the weak attempt at a joke. “No, it does not. I can’t say why this phenomenon is occurring at Zaros, or why it doesn’t seem to be as problematic in Savar or any other settled Oases, but theoretically if you do manage to eradicate the rats completely that should be the end of things. No need to worry about snakes or rabbits suddenly gaining unnatural abilities.”

“Right.” Zar drawled sarcastically. “I just have to completely eradicate a species that lives underground, reproduces like a plague, can sniff out poison, and is beginning to develop unusual abilities that make it even harder to kill them. I’d almost prefer to face the tigers. They might be more of a threat, but I could actually kill them for once.”

There’s a long pause where the only sound able to be heard is that of a scratching quill. Eventually the stranger speaks. “Well, whatever you plan to do about your rodent infestation, I’d do it quickly if I were you. Now that their personal Pathfinders are back and know the way to Zaros the nobles are putting the finishing touches on their caravans. Pretty soon you’ll have all sorts of new headaches to deal with as all those entitled brats arrive with their entourages. Nothing is quite so annoying as a third son demanding respect for who his father is.”

“Don’t remind me.” Zar groaned. “The housing for them is as finished as it's going to get, basic though it is, but I still need to put together a raiding party to go and take over a village or two. Hard to call this is a slave market if I don’t have any slaves to sell, after all.”

“Will you be needing my assistance? I should be able to lend you some decent fighters for the right price. Nothing you couldn’t afford.” The stranger sounded interested in the idea.

“No, no.” Zar quickly answered him. “You’ve invested enough in this venture already. It will take years to pay you back fully, and that’s if everything goes smoothly. If we run into more problems like these fucking rats, then let’s just say I have a healthy respect for your reputation.”

“If you say so.” The man accepted Zar’s argument with just a hint of doubt in his tone.

The adventurer hurried to reassure his backer. “It should be fine. Rao and I have been to plenty of settlements that were too large to be worth the effort when we were shipping the slaves directly to Savar, but the shorter distance to Zaros should work in our favor. Combined with the additional mercenaries we’ve already hired on to guard and develop the Oasis and it shouldn’t take much more than a week to round up the first batch of slaves. The main thing we’re waiting on at the moment is making sure that the slave pen is securely locked down, but there have been other obligations on Ramses’ time.”

“Hmm.” was the noncommittal response. “If you can handle the threats and complaints the upper class will throw your way, I can tell you that they will be bringing a few mages in their entourage. Don’t ask me for their talents or spells, but hopefully you can persuade them to help you fix your various problems, when they aren’t busy misting the air or creating breezes for their masters.”

“Sounds about right.” Zar sighed. “Anything else heading my way that I should know about?”

The stranger rummaged through his papers once more. “There have been rumors of a new Oasis in a couple of other cities, likely due to your trade with Luxor, but so far nowhere else has anyone offering transportation to Zaros. Don’t be surprised if a few trailblazers appear over the next week as they try and work out Paths to your Oasis for themselves.”

“Noted. I’ll try and leave them alive.” Zar grimaced. Kairen knew the adventurer wanted more time to get everything set up, but he needed those trade routes to begin to form. The people who had loaned him money and other resources only had so much patience after all, and wouldn’t be happy until Zar was sending them returns on a regular basis.

“One last thing, and then I’ll leave you to your work. You’ve mentioned that the Oasis has stopped growing, correct?” The backer asked, wanting to be sure his information was correct before continuing.

“Yep.” Zar easily confirmed the fact for the stranger. “The nomads claimed that it was growing pretty regularly before I showed up, and it definitely was larger when I came back the second time, but it hasn’t done much since. Ramses says he can feel some sort of magic happening occasionally, but he doesn’t know enough to tell me what it actually is doing.”

“Thank you for the clarification.” The person on the other end of the conversation took a second to write some notes down. “I believe I have a solution for both of those problems. Mr. Mage is a ritual mage in my employ, with unique talents that let him take care of all sorts of unusual problems for me.”

“Mr. Mage?” Zar snorted at the obvious pseudonym.

“That is the only name you need to know for him. I’ll make arrangements for him to accompany the first group heading from Savar to Zaros. Upon arriving he will make his presence known to you, and you will provide him with anything he needs to accomplish his work. And I do mean anything. Money, materials, workers. If he asks for it make sure he gets it. Make a note of it and we can discuss costs later, but if Mr. Mage needs your left foot for whatever reason I expect you to cut it off yourself right then and there. Are we clear?” Towards the end of his speech the stranger's voice approaches a frigid tone, and Kairen shivers, even though he isn’t the target of the threat ladened question.

“Crystal.” Zar forces out between gritted teeth, not enjoying being treated so heavy handedly.

“Good!” The stranger resumed his cheerful attitude with a speed that made the threat that much more unnerving. “Not only does Mr. Mage possess the magical knowledge to identify whatever working the Oasis is currently involved in, but over the course of his employment he has learned a thing or two about Oases in general. The great temple of Ing, Luxor, Savar, Ashwan, Rojore, and all the other cities built around those magical springs all have claims of having some control over the benefits that the Oases provide.”

The man snorted in derision. “Most of what they claim is dross, of course, but for the discerning mind there is gold to be found, and Mr. Mage is highly discerning. It won’t be easy or cheap, but with his expertise you should be able to shape the Oasis in such a way as to advance your goals.”

“Understood. Is there anything else you wish to discuss? Or are we done for now?” Zar prompted.

“I believe that is everything. You may go.” The stranger answered before abruptly cutting off the conversation, leaving Zar holding a silent piece of rock.

“Bastard!” The adventurer hissed out, somehow restraining himself from yelling or throwing the magical artifact. Carefully he placid it back in a box on his desk, which was carefully locked and stored away. Kairen let out a little sigh of disappointment. He had been hoping to direct Alpha to steal the speaking device, but Zar made that almost impossible.

The adventurer, still in a bad mood, left the tent. The Oasis had been transformed over the past two months, with rough framework houses covering most of the grassy area. As Zar had told his backer, they were ready to be lived in, with solid roofs and walls, but lacked the decoration or appliances to make them comfortable or appealing. The orderly rows of houses and streets gave the appearance of a well-designed city, even if it was still lacking in people to populate it. A few of the workers had started their own side business, and could be found selling food or simple goods out of the small houses they had been given.

Woven baskets and hats were especially popular, taking advantage of the large amount of grass and the rapid pace of regrowth the Oasis provided, but clay pots and toys were popular products as well. Clay dice in particular sold rapidly and were used often, but the quality of craftsmanship led to more than one fight, especially when the betting stakes were higher than usual. It was hard to tell the difference between shoddy craftsmanship and an intentionally skewed die, and it took Zar stepping in before a solution was found.

Two rules in particular made the games slightly more complicated, but removed most of the contention. Any die had to be rolled twenty times where everyone could see before being used in a game, and anyone could demand to use any dice that were present. Complaints still came up, but the discontent was directed more at the craftsmen than the poor individuals who had been sold shoddy dice.

Zar wasn’t interested in playing games of chance, or swimming in the pond, or having an early meal. He made his way over to the small arena that had been set up, eager and ready to fight. With nothing better to do, Kairen followed along behind him.

The arena had originally been an open space for the adventurers to practice with their weapons and skills, but without many other forms of entertainment the irregular workers had gotten into the habit of dropping by to watch the spars. From there it hadn’t taken long for seating to be added, and incentivized by money the adventurers were soon fighting more aggressively than was probably safe, especially without a dedicated healer. Zar had simply arranged for one of his subordinates to be in charge of the betting pool, and had split off a portion for himself and a separate portion to subsidize the cost of healing potions for the competitors.

Zar wasn’t technically banned from taking part in the fights, but his combat ability was simply beyond that of any other adventurer. It hadn’t taken long for the workers to realize this and simply not bet against him. It didn’t take much longer for the other fighters to lose their interest in fighting him at all. Unfortunately for them, Zar didn’t mind using his authority for his own benefit.

“You, you, and you with the spear!” He roared out. “I’m looking for a workout and you’re going to give it to me!”

Kairen simply shook his head and took a seat. As much as he wanted Zar to get hurt, he’d just have to content himself with watching the show like everyone else.