The ground grew soggy and smelled of rotting plants. Ruyo sped on toward the wooden watchtower that stood on the horizon. This wasn't just a Church symbol, it seemed; a man stood guard in it. Ruyo slowed her aquatic dashing and gave him a friendly wave before riding onward.

Once they were within hailing distance she said, "Here to trade and perform."

The guard said, "Come closer. Hey, are you that 'Lady of Waters'? Think I've seen you before."

"I am!"

That was a good enough introduction.

Ruyo went on to the town. The raised wagon-trail started to give up and fade. She took to repelling the ground slightly, remaining just above the sodden surface. That got her the attention of some townsfolk who were gathering red mud into a cart. "How is the clay-making?" she asked.

A wary man said, "We've got the finest raw material in the southlands. Keeps us busy."

They took pride in the stuff. Ruyo lowered herself a bit (while still trying to keep the muck off her clothes) and scooped up a big handful, letting it squish between her fingers. "Nice. Might buy some of the finished product."

The village itself was mostly on stilts. Old, creaking wooden walkways connected many of the cabins, making a compact neighborhood like a city district surrounded by mire. Long-necked birds paced in the distance. Morning mist lingered as a low-hanging fog. Ruyo headed for the sign of an inn, the Scarlet Crane.

"Quiet day," she said, walking into a building of mud brick.

A woman was grilling fish. She turned to Ruyo and said, "Gets more lively in the evenings. Weren't you here selling glassware a while back?"

"Last year. Looking for a room and a meal for now. Then I'm here to perform, maybe heal people. Nusina?"

The spirit made herself visible and introduced herself and Ruyo.

The innkeeper looked like she'd seen everything already, and just raised an eyebrow. "So you're that wizard. Guess we'll see."

Ruyo paid for a room like any other customer, and relaxed. The innkeeper quizzed her about news of trade and the war, seeming less interested in Ruyo's own doings. Ruyo eventually brought up the road. "I'm hearing more lately about how we ought to improve the tow path along the river east from Averell to Follyport. Seems like the same kind of muddy ground here, so maybe getting you a better path would be good practice for that job."

"The same kind!" the lady said, laughing. "No, no, the soil quality's different." She talked about details of grit and water retention that Ruyo didn't know existed.

Humbled, Ruyo said, "I had no idea. So it dries out slower here?"

They talked about the making of clay bricks and pottery. "So you were just a trader and now you're in the supposed godhood business?"

Ruyo grinned and while leaning back in her chair, conjured a rough cube of iron in her hands. "I'm branching out."

Soon, a dozen folk wandered in for lunch. That gave her a chance to perform, first simply by having Nusina be there and talking with people. Then by casual conjuration. The crowd quickly grew.

"I know your game," said one weary farmer. "You want to be treated like a god."

"There are some obvious benefits," she told him.

"Yeah, well, you should deal with our gator problem before bragging to us."

"Have they been attacking? I managed to get close to some without getting my head torn off."

Nusina put in, "After giving them too much opportunity."

A burly craftsman with clay under his nails said, "It's happened three times this month. The local band of them runs toward town, smashes a fence, steals a pig or two. Last time they tried to wreck my kiln."

Ruyo said, "I've fought some of the creatures before. Are they a worse problem now than usual?"

"And why?" asked Nusina. Ruyo nodded.

"Don't know. The weather? Or I guess their latest boss-gator is more aggressive than the last one?"

A woman said, "We've had hunting parties fight back and kill a few of the wretched beasts, but that hasn't stopped them."

"I'll see what I can do."

After a little more showmanship and the healing of someone's small cut for lack of any more impressive wounds she could handle, she left the tavern. Her next stop was the farms that'd been raided.

"Mud I can handle," Ruyo said to the spirit, "but I'd rather avoid pigs unless they're on my plate. The snouts bother me somehow."

"Well, between hoofprints and mud I can't find any clear gator tracks. But this isn't my area of expertise."

"Nor mine," Ruyo said aloud. She'd gotten more practice in keeping her boots clean than in finding anything in this muck.

They returned to the tavern. Rather than try to be the center of attention again, she asked about something that'd nagged her. "I've seen the gators take away their dead. Did they do that here?"

"What? No," said a bushy-browed man smelling pleasantly of moss. "We gave the bodies to Harnor."

Nusina asked, "Uh, is that a local god?"

The man laughed at the floating spirit. "I'll tell him you asked. He's the doc, over on the west side."

Ruyo said, "Thanks; I'll talk with him."

Doc Harnor's home was another plain cabin on stilts, with a sign. He was busy mixing something pungent in a bowl. "Think I've seen you around before," he said. "Is all this god stuff real?"

Ruyo smiled. "Sure is. I'm trying to learn more about healing while I'm at it." She explained the deal of magic-granting.

"I already have the gift, but thank you. I might try your version soon to compare and see if it's more powerful."

Ruyo nodded, then got around to the topic of the gators.

"They're not so tough," Harnor said. "Our people have fought them off pretty well with arrows and fire and spears. Pretty dumb if they can't handle pointy sticks."

Ruyo scratched one ear. "Just stay out of close quarters. Do you have the bodies here?"

"I cut them up and disposed of them already, but kept a few samples and turned the hides over to our tanner." He showed off a thin patch of scaly hide.

He let her handle it, running her fingers over the thick but flexible scales. "You're not eating the meat, are you?"

The doc looked uncomfortable. "I suggested it, but the idea didn't go over well. They're just enough like people that it seems weird. I'd like to know more about them though."

"I'm thinking of going out to meet the local ones. Maybe I can calm them down."

"What? Miss, even with magic powers I wouldn't run off into the swamp after angry monsters." He laughed. "If you really want to, wait for tomorrow morning. They're least active then, I think."

"Do you study their behavior? Take their eggs or anything like that?"

"No, though I went to examine some in the spring. Couldn't talk anyone into getting up close to one of their nests."

"Can't imagine why. All right, I'll plan on a morning trip."