"Do you need me to make another one of these for you?" I quietly tease the flagging blonde. Her brother drifted off to sleep a few minutes ago, right after the sun set.

"Shut up." She pants out. "We're almost there, Southwood is just around this bend."

"So, it is." I say as a fire lit, wooden palisade comes into view. "I wonder if your brother's horse made it here, I was hoping someone would have come along to investigate and save us from having to walk the whole way."

"Oh, this isn't the first time Roddy's horse has thrown him." She laughs at her brother. "They probably just penned it up for us."

"Who goes there?" A voice calls out from the wall.

"Georgie, that you? It's me Amelia." She clearly knows the gate guards. "Have Paul run to get Captain Leonard and Maddie. A couple of bandits killed my horse and put an arrow in Roddy's shoulder."

"Are you two from around here?" I got the impression they were just visiting their aunt.

"Not really." She answers. "Our parents run a warehouse in Riverton to the south, but Aunt Carmen broke her leg in the spring, so we had to go help her out until she finally healed. We're always making trips up to Northwood to buy and sell stuff though, that's why I know the people here."

As she's giving her explanation, Georgie shouts out a few quick commands before stomping down some steps to open the small gate for us. "Ah, shit." The gate guard spits. "Is he alright? We saw the horse earlier, and just thought it was being stubborn again."

"Mm fine." Rodrick yawns. "Be better if you'd quit shouting."

"Sorry, Roddy." The abashed look he gets makes the guard look younger than his years.

"What happened?" A matronly older woman with curly red hair, that's just starting to go grey, walks up and checks the bandage first thing.

"The arrow nicked an artery, and I spent all my healing on Amelia's concussion. So, I had to leave it in to stop the blood flow." I answer. I would have tried healing him anyways if he was truly in danger, but the arrow was keeping him from bleeding. And, I'm a little leery of using a spell that drains my health, at least until I've got a better feel for how it affects me. Just the little I did for Amelia made me feel like I was starving, and I didn't want to be the one stuck on the travois.

"Well, at least you know what you're doing." The healer nods to me and then turns to Amelia. "You alright girl? No dizziness, or nausea?"

"I'm fine Miss Maddie... well, I wouldn't mind sitting down after that hike." She smiles at the older woman's protectiveness. "Sorrel here fixed me upright, and he saved our lives from these two scum."

The scum in question were trying to sneak off while our attention was diverted. Before a tall, fit, older man with short-cropped hair walked up grabbed them by the necks and pushed them to the ground with a growled: "Sit!"

"Evening Captain." Rodrick greets the man with a wave of his good arm. "Sorry to disturb you."

"Hah!" The old man snorts. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I had a feeling something was up with your horse, but dismissed it out of hand. Alright boys, take over and get him off to Maddie's."

"Thank you, Sorrel." Rodrick bows his head to me as they carry him off.

"Yes, thank you so much." Amelia blushes after giving me a quick hug and following after her brother.

"Are you responsible for these two, son?" The captain asks while dragging the bandits back to their feet.

"I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time." I was going to give Apricot the credit, but she's hitching a ride in Amelia's hair still.

"Be that as it may, you still captured them and deserve a reward." He starts guiding them into a small lock-up next to the gate. "The standard rate is half a gold per bandit, but this is the first time we've had to deal with any around these parts. Ugh, damned paperwork is going to take me half the night."

"Heh." I can't help but let out a small chuckle at that, it seems that paperwork is truly a universal hassle.

"Alright, you can drop their bonds now." He says after shoving them in a cell together. "Thanks, let me get you situated at the inn, and I'll get your coin to you in the morning. And, thank you. The Rialtas are well liked around here, and it would have been a shame if something were to happen to them."

"I'm just glad I was able to help, but I sure won't say no if you're willing to spot me a big meal." I say as my belly grumbles. "The healing spell I use draws on my vitality, and I need food to replenish it."

"Sure thing lad, sure thing." He chuckles and leads me to a small inn in the middle of town after his guards return.

It really was one long day, so after wolfing down the meal I just headed straight to my room. I would have gone right to bed, but a certain pixie came back to check the progress of my shapeshifting.

"Cosmetically, it's fine," I tell her. "but I'm having trouble controlling it, and the senses are weird, like I can almost see and hear through it."

"So, I'm taking the lead again?" She bobs in mid-air, in a pixie version of a shrug, before flying over and trying to pull my pants down. "That's fine by me, just get these damned pants off."

"Yes, Ma'am." I laugh and shuck off my pants before hopping into bed.

***

"Morning sleepyhead." a voice right next to my ear draws me from sleep. "I would have woken you up a much nicer way, but it looks like your transformation drops when you sleep."

"Mhm, I'll definitely have to work on that then." I let out a big yawn. "That and controlling junior." I chuckle. "Flopping about when all I wanted to do was grab hold, was very frustrating."

"You'll get there." Apricot grins. "You just need practice." We were just about to get that practice when a knock comes from my door.

"Sorrel, are you up?" Amelia calls out from the other side of the door. I groan, but Apricot says to invite her to join in.

I just smile and shake my head before pulling on my pants. "Just a second." I pull on my shirt and open the door. "Morning Amelia, how's Rodrick doing?"

"He's good." She answers with a smile. "Maddie got the arrow out and stitched up his wound last night. I came over to treat you to breakfast and see if there's anything you needed." I do my best to ignore Apricot tugging on my ear when Amelia said that last bit.

"Thank you, I'll never say no to a good meal." I answer her smile with one of my own. "And, I could use someone to show me around town, maybe help me pick up a few of the basics."

"Stretch my merchant muscles?" She steps back to lead the way to the dining hall. "I'd be happy to."

"Oh, hold on, I almost forgot my speaker." I turn around and speak a short incantation. "...Storage!" Touching the speaker makes it disappear into a pocket dimension. This was the priciest skill I picked up, but totally worth it.

"You can use storage?" The young merchant gets a hungry look on her face. "Do you know how many times I've dreamt of having that spell? All the best merchants have that, or some variation of it. Oh, I'm so jealous."

"Mhm, I can try showing you how to use it." I offer.

"Nng, I won't say no, but my uncle Charlie already tried." She heaves out a deep sigh. "It did not go well."

"Well, let's go get breakfast." I change the subject. "And, maybe you fill me on some of the local geography. I know Riverton is to the south, and the Teeth are to the north, but that's about it."

"I wouldn't mind learning a bit about that too." Apricot says and flies over to Amelia, giving me a thumbs up that the blonde can't see. I can't help but smile at the thought of gaining a pixie wingman/fuck buddy after just one day on a new world.

Amelia is happy to give us an impromptu lesson. I learn that this is the Kingdom Of Larendath and that it's bordered by the Deadlands desert to the west, The Wyvern's teeth to the north, a mountain range that covers almost the entire western coast of the continent of Varecia.

Oceans to the east and south mean that Larendath is somewhat isolated, but it's position on the Circular Gulf, a favored trade route by sailors, means that it's something of a gateway to the continent and a rather major trade hub for the area.

We're in the Deepwoods to the northwest of the country, and Southwood was built by two brothers from Westwood, which is actually to the east. But, used to be the westernmost town in the area. The residents of which will apparently get quite upset when travelers coming from Riverton call their town Eastwood by mistake.

The brothers were hunting deep into the forest when they stumbled upon a naturally defended valley full of valuable resources. Immediately seeing the potential, they claimed the area. And, lacking a better naming sense, dubbed it Northwood.

Realizing that Northwood was too far into the forest; the eldest brother spent the earnings from their first few trips to hire a team to build a small fort. The fort quickly grew into a bustling town. Still lacking a naming sense, it was un-imaginatively called Southwood by the brothers.

Riverton, about a week's travel to the south, is one of only two settlements on the Janwick. It's prime farmland going mostly unused because of the proximity to the magical null zone that is the desert.

It's a small, but important trade city built where the river exits the woods. There's a road that runs from Riverton to the country of Cendassa in the north-east. This road travels a sort of no man's land between the woods and the desert.

"Wow, I guess you need to know all that to be a good merchant." I say with a laugh once her lecture winds down.

"Oh, all that and more." She nods. "I mean, I didn't even touch on the Grasslands." She laughs when Apricot lets out a snore. "Okay okay, no more lessons."

"Thank goodness." The pixie perks right back up.

"Heheh." I chortle at the winged woman's antics. "Alright, let's go shopping. Oh, thank you very much, Annie." I smile at the inn keeper’s daughter as she comes over to clear the table. "Please tell your parents the meal was delicious." I say and grow a flower to tuck into her hair.

"Thank you, Mister Sorrel." A bright smile fills her face. "Daddy said to tell you that mister Leonard has your reward ready at the Townhall."

"Thank you very much, Annie." I beam a smile at her.

"You lady-killer you." Apricot teases as we walk down the street to Townhall. "But, don't you think she's a bit young?"

"So, what can I buy with a gold, and do you think I can get anything for their weapons?" I ask Amelia while studiously ignoring the crazy flying woman.

"Eh, maybe a few coppers for the blades." She waggles her hand. "I took a look yesterday, and they're pretty poor quality. As for the gold, it won't go far in the city, but you should be able to get whatever you need from here." She looks down at my bare feet as we step inside the Building. "I recommend you start with some boots."

"Hah!" Apricot barks out a laugh much larger and louder than her body should be able to. "Should have seen him yesterday, he was walking around in the buff. Only made some clothes when I reminded him that it's generally a good idea to have pants on when you go into town." Seeing the blush that creeps on Amelia's face is worth the embarrassment Apricot doles out.

"Ah, Sorrel." The captain waves us over after spotting us. "I've got your coins here, I gave you fifty copper, and five wreaths, along with nine silver and nine laurels." Looks like it's a simple hundred to one ratio from copper to silver to gold with wreaths, laurels, and presumably crowns being worth ten of their respective metal.

"Thank you very much." I put the smaller silver pouch into my storage, and tuck the copper into my pants pocket.

"Smart." The lawman nods. "We don't get a lot of crime here, but it never hurts to be cautious."

"Speaking of crime." Amelia snarls. "What's going to happen to those two."

"Banditry and attempted murder are both capital offenses, so they'll be spending the rest of their days in the mines." He says calmly. "Oh, a magistrate will be by in a few days on his regular rounds to try them, but with your statements, it's already a foregone conclusion."

"Does the kingdom use a lot of slave labor?" I ask, not surprised, but also not-not surprised.

"Capital crimes go to the mines." He states. "Lesser criminals are punished appropriately and forced to make amends. If they cannot, then they will have to work off their debt, though rarely in hard labor. No other forms are allowed, and slavery is actually considered a capital crime itself."

"Harsh, but fair."

"As long as it doesn't get abused." He finishes the unspoken part of my sentence for me. "Which is what the magistrates are for; they're impartial and only report to the Queen. They can, and have even taken down the nobility."

"Good to hear." I nod to the captain. "Alright, I'm off to buy some boots."

"Well, I wasn't expecting that question." Amelia lets out a nervous laugh as we leave.

"Mhm." I make a noncommittal noise. "Where I'm from used to have a problem with slavery."

"Ah." She nods. "Mind if I ask where that is, your accent is perfect, but you're obviously not from anywhere nearby."

"Very, very far away." A sad look pastes itself on my face. I've been avoiding thinking about what happened as best I can, but I'm gonna have to sit down and just deal sooner or later. "It's kinda hard to talk about, let's just say that I had to travel a very hard road before I came here. But, I'm rather happy to be here now." My sadness is replaced by a smile as I look between her and Apricot.

"Smooth." Apricot whispers in my ear after Amelia ducks her head to hide her blush behind her shining locks.

"...Boots." Amelia coughs. "There's a good cobbler down this way."

The cobbler turned out to be more of an all-purpose leatherworker, so I able to get a belt, waterskin, and a backpack along with the boots. Which thankfully they had a pair in my size... well, close enough that I barely had to Shape-shift at all.

"Well, don't you look like a proper traveler now." Rodrick teases as we check up on him. The leatherworker was close to Maddie's, so we headed over after getting me kitted out.

"Hey, Roddy." Amelia pulls him into a gentle hug. "How are you doing?"

"You know for someone who hates having their name shortened, you sure do love giving people nicknames." He says with a dopey smile.

"Sorry about him." Maddie says. "I gave him a little poppy tea for the pain, but he's a bit of a lightweight."

"I've recovered enough that I can heal him now." I say and try not to laugh as the stoned man's eyes follow Apricot as she flitters about.

"If it'll clear out my spare bed, then you're welcome to." I'm unsure how much of her gruff demeanor is for show, so I just get on with it.

"Hey Rodrick, can you please quit trying to catch the pixie, and drink this for me." I half-fill the empty glass next to his bed with the healing sap.

"That's an interesting spell, do the effects last?" Maddie asks as Amelia helps her brother to drink his medicine.

"Unfortunately no." I shake my head and guide the magic to his shoulder. "The sap stays around, but the healing effect fades away once I quit channeling the spell. And, without me guiding it, the healing would just be spread over the whole body, anyways."

"And it draws from your vitality, yes?" I nod to her question while focusing most of my attention on healing Rodrick. "Shame, If not for that it would be a top-class spell."

'True, but after picking storage, I didn't have a lot of points left for a healing spell. And, this one was cheap because I chose the Plantkin race.' Is what I don't say.

"Alright, man." I pat Amelia's brother on his freshly healed shoulder. "You're all fixed up, let's get you to the inn so you can sleep off the rest of the poppy juice."

"Okay." He says with an even dopier smile and tries to get out of bed, only to get hopelessly tangled in the sheet.

"Lie back down boy." Maddie pushes him back onto the mattress. "I'll watch him until he sobers up."

"Thank you, Miss Maddie." Amelia pulls the gruff old woman into a hug. "And, thank you for stitching him up last night."

"Yeah, yeah." The old woman blushes slightly. "Just go on already. And you take your weapons and sled with you, the guards left them here last night."

"Bye Amy." Roddy waves to his sister who cringes at the nickname.

"You really don't like nicknames? What about Lia?" I say after storing the weapons, the travois I just chopped up and tossed on her firewood pile.

"Nng, uncle Charlie calls me that one." She groans.

"We'll just call you Mel then." Apricot says with a titter.

"Please don't." Amelia just shakes her head and changes the subject. "So, where next?"

"The blacksmiths." I answer. "I need a decent knife and a cook pot." I checked out the knives, and she was right, they are kinda trash. I guess charging at a sharp pointy thing is going to make it look bigger and badder than it really is.

"Oh, this should be fun." She laughs. "Just don't take anything Zita says seriously. She's a bit of a flirt, but she and Dolf are happily married."

"Just because they're married doesn't mean they can't bring in extra partners." Apricot says. "Maybe she's just trying to draw people in."

"I... did not think of that." Amelia starts blushing.

"Well, don't worry." The pixie lands on her shoulder and whispers just loud enough for me to hear. "I don't think Sorrel is going to be flirting with any other women anytime soon." This just makes Amelia blush all the harder.

***