I. Hate. People.

The hustle and bustle of them. The crowded streets and endless lines they create. The noise! I don't think New York was ever this loud! My own thoughts had a constant background hum to them, words that weren't my own.

Jane led me by the hand through the stone brick streets of the port city. Apparently, she has lived here since she was born. Her family was in one of the outer districts, allowed to live on the property of the warehouse owner. They stocked and moved the resources in the warehouse, allowing them a fairly decent standard of living.

Why did I even listen to her when she told me about her family?

I stood across from their home door. The entire house was a small attachment to the side of the warehouse with a fairly well-built metal door on it. I guess the warehouse people don't like their stuff stolen. Though I don't think they have learned that no matter the strength of the door, if the wooden walls aren't secure, then it didn't matter. From where I was standing, I could see some gaps in the wood that a crowbar would eat up.

Underneath my shady overhang, I sat there waiting. Every minute that passed, I asked myself why I hadn't left yet. This was clearly time wasted in achieving ultimate turtle convergence. And still, I waited.

This is taking too long. I need to do SOMETHING.

I walked over to the front door with Turtley and looked into his eyes.

"I want you to be good while I'm gone. Ok?"

The turtle nodded his head. Alright, I'm saying it: my turtle is officially the smartest turtle in existence.

I kissed him on the head and placed him in front of the door. I then knocked three times and left, disappearing into the nearby alleyway. I turned to make sure someone took Turtley inside, watching Jane pick him up and look around. She seemed distraught; though I didn't know why.

She took him inside and closed the door.

Good, I can now do what needs to be done while he stays safe.

I had no clear direction as I was in a medieval-like city on an alien planet in a void of nothingness only gotten to through a magic space portal. I still kinda thought it was a bit long.

I needed a map of the turtle lands. From what I have seen, something like paper is rare, and even more so an accurate drawing on it. That means I needed to buy it or steal it. Though, did I look like I was made of money?

Where is Dora when you need her? Sentient map in her pocket, always changing what's on it for the destination...

I looked around the city center that I had made my way towards. All the buildings were made out of a hardened blue stone. It looked like a polished version of the rock I found on the island. Swanky. The style of the buildings wasn't far off from old European buildings, mostly the French kind.

I got quite a few stares due to my ratty clothing but continued on my way.

The city center was once again hustling and bustling, ripe with passing idiots. Pick-pocketing was the easiest thing for me in this environment. Too much commotion, too close quarters, and too few alert people.

I guess I wasn't the only criminal in the area as my pockets were felt up a couple times as well. Too bad for them that I kept it all in my shoes. Of course, it was uncomfortable, walking around on small coins of various denominations, but what idiot checks the shoe?

I didn't feel much other than disgust towards the other pick-pocketers. Their methods were crude and their hands fumbling. It was more like a snatch-and-grab than a true pick-pocket. Clearly, they haven't trained on a bell dummy.

Two hours later, I had enough money in my shoes to make them tight. It was making my gait very odd. I hadn't had much time to feel up the coins or find out their value, but I probably had enough for some decent clothing.

The tailor shop was incredibly easy to find. It was very obvious since there was a glass window with clothes in it.

Even being in the city center, there were very few people in the shop. A few women and two men; none of which looked exceedingly rich. They strolled around the shop, looking at the various fabrics and clothe drawings. Three attendants walked around the store to help any of the customers should they call upon them.

Once I walked in, one of them came up to me. He was a short boy, couldn't be older than twelve. His blue hair was cut short and his blue eyes looked bright.

I guess I'm the only brown-haired individual in this entire city. I stick out like a sore thumb...

"How can I help you, sir?"

Smile. Adjust shirt. Stand tall. Exude confidence.

"Yes, hello. My name is Opnoble; I'm looking for some clothes. These got torn up in the storm recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir. What do you have in mind?"

Did I look like I had a clue? No, not at all.

"I'm thinking about traveling soon, for some business, so I would like comfortable clothes. It will be to a far land, so durability is also of utmost importance to me."

The boy nodded and brought me over to a few clothing racks. There were a few wooden stands with premade clothes already on them and the fabric types to the side. He started to rattle off the properties of the fabric while I quickly checked my shoe wallet.

"This fabric is great for..."

I only half-listened. I grabbed the two types of coins in my shoe, copper and bronze.

Fucking cliche...

I assumed the bronze was more valuable as an alloy, but I made no assumptions. As a real quick test, I asked the boy two quick questions.

"Real quick, how much does this cloth here cost?"

"The spun plant fiber? 15 copper 2 bronze."

"And this fabric over here?"

"The silken animal hair? 10 bronze 30 silver."

The boy then jumped right back into his presentation.

That settled it, the bronze was more valuable. Asking about the cheaper fabric established the baseline while the more expensive one confirmed my hypothesis. I didn't even have a single silver on me, so something expensive was out of the question. As the boy continued to talk, I transferred all the coins from my shoes to my pockets. The left pocket was bronze while the other was copper.

I quickly realized that I had much more copper than bronze. Figures. Overall, I had 42 bronze and 92 copper. That was probably not much. If the cloth here fares by the meter then a full set of even plant fiber clothes is out of my grasp.

"...And that is just about everything I can tell you about our products. So sir, how should we proceed?"

"My whole life, my mother has sewn me my clothes. As I made a bit of money for myself, I decided to buy some tailored clothes. I have 92 copper and 42 bronze on me right now. I plan to spend all of it on one set. What will that get me?"

The boy fell into deep thought. I could hear him under his breath.

That isn't a lot...

Didn't matter to me. So long as I got a decent set of stuff, I'd be happy.

"If you are willing to substitute some of the linen with plant fiber, I can get you a full set of clothes for that amount. The plants we use produce long fibers so they won't be itchy. The shirt will be primarily linen while the pants and socks will be made of the spun plant fibers. We can even provide some shoes made by our in-house shoesmith since you are buying a full set. They will be the basic leather shoe, but very durable. Overall, this will cost you the full 92 copper and 42 bronze you have. Fair enough?"

"More than fair."

It isn't my money being spent.

"Alright then, come with me to get measured. It will take a bit of time."

What proceeded was a long and boring process of getting measured. The boy held his hands all over my body, pinky to pointer finger. He wrote down the various measurements on a single wooden board and told me they would be ready in a few hours.

I handed him all the money and he gave me a small wooden coin with the number 15 on it. I just sat on the wooden bench in the shop and waited. I closed my eyes and planned out my next steps.

Every step I've made is as efficient as possible. I will make it to the promised land soon.

After 5 hours of waiting, I handed in my token and was given my clothes. It came wrapped in a fibrous sting in a neat and folded pile. I went into one of their changing rooms and put on my new clothes. Unsurprisingly, they weren't nearly as comfortable as a cotton t-shirt and jeans, but they fit perfectly.

I'm surprised he could make this in only 5 hours. They must have some stencils to work off of.

"If I may ask, have you seen Crublim about a map yet? I assumed you had since you said you were going on a trip."

I lied like it was the truth.

"Of course I have, he has the best maps in the city."

"Obviously sir. Thank you for your patronage. I hope you choose us again when you need some more clothes."

I walked out of the store and back onto the streets. It was still crowded even as the sun was setting. How could this many people have stuff to do! It was dark already! I guess I was lumped in with them as I was also out and about at this hour.

I asked a few passersby about the map shop and was directed to it, along the way collecting some more money. The trip was short, bringing me to what I assumed was Crublim's shop. It was in an alleyway behind a collection of bigger buildings.

The storefront wasn't much, but the inside was a wonder of paper and drawings. The place smelt like a printing room, the ink hanging heavy in the air. I went to a newspaper printing room for a school field trip once; this wasn't far off.

From the back room, I heard a deep voice.

"I'll be there in a minute."

I waited while looking around the shop. Nothing ever had price tags on it. Did these people just remember their entire inventory?

When the voice stepped out from the room, he stood a foot taller than me. His blue eyes looked down at mine.

"Well, I never expected to see a northerner this far south."

I had to quickly come up with something smart-sounding.

"The wind blows in many directions, as do the waves pick things up and wash them away."

Criiiiinge.

"A learned one you are. How can I help?"

It worked! Dumbass...

"I'm looking for a certain place. I wonder if you have heard of before as the great mapmaker Crublim."

The man laughed.

"I am indeed a great mapmaker, but my geography has gotten a bit rusty after years of staying here. I have a bunch of the youngin's explore for me now. Even so, I may know the place you speak of."

"I want to find the largest collection of turtles."

"Those shelled creatures in the badlands? Why would you want to go there; it's just a bunch of stupid reptiles?"

I will forgive your slight of the turtles...for now.

"It is a task from my father. As a noble, my seven brothers and I are fighting for the right to inherit. He sent us out into the world with nothing but a small bag of money and some clothes. Each of us had to find a different creature in the world and bring it back. He is crazy, but none of us can refute his word."

"Sounds like one of the more tame noble inheritance games. I remember the war for Ludvicious' inheritance. His five heirs all wanted his power, so five armies decided the victor. That was a bad few years for many people. It's good to see that your father cares to not involve the common folk in his schemes."

He went to the backroom and brought back a small map and crude compass.

"I'm giving this to you for free. I just hope that in the future you will win and replace your father; remembering the kindness I have given you. The nobles have long cared not for the people they lord over. I hope that as the younger generation, you can make a difference. You probably won't, but I can hope."

"Thank you. I WILL remember this. Goodbye."

We shook hands and I left. What a sucker; a few kind words and a plausible story I yanked from a fiction book got me the stuff I needed for free. Now I had a silver coin with a bunch of lover denominations, good clothes on my back, and a map with a compass.

All in a day's work for the great Max Grand. My turtle brothers will see me soon.

I made my way back through the streets to Jane's house. It was pitch black out, the fake stars clear overhead to light my way. I took a few twisted turns and came before the metal door I had left Turtley at.

*Knock-Knock*

The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Jane hugging Turtley. She clung to him like he was her beating heart. She had red tear lines under her eyes and messy hair. What had she done for the last day?

She ran up to me and fell into my chest.

Uhhhh, ok?

"You left me... you left us... I thought you just..."

She started to cry into my chest. I grabbed Turtley and placed him on top of my head, away from the splash zone. Again I repeat: drama queen.

"I just went to get a map for our trip."

Jane stopped crying and looked into my eyes. Then her face contorted in anger.

"You idiot! You left us all day, thinking you're gone for good, to go get something I already had!?"

"You wha?"

"I already had a map! I copied it from the warehouse's master copy. Why do you think I stayed in here so long!"

"I just thought..."

"You suck at communication."

It was at that last sentence that the face of my sister overlapped with Jane's. She always told me I sucked at communicating. It always lead to friction between us that burst out all at once like earthquakes.

Seeing a bit of my sister in her, I patted her head.

"I'm...sorry...I act on my own a lot, so...I'm sorry."

Jane quieted down.

"Just don't do it again."

"I promise."

"Great, now come inside and meet the family."