As it turned out, the strange man had no intention of doing anything other than what he told me he was going to do. We made small talk for the better part of an hour, then he cooked the deer over the campfire and offered me some of the meat. I had long since stopped paying active attention to any of his ramblings, just letting reflex take over whenever a reply was needed, but from what I could glean his religion was a relatively new one which was why the non-members viewed them so poorly. After I had eaten my fill I climbed back up the tree, and the man left to go find a tree of his own. I never did ask him how he knew we wouldn't be attacked by bears, I thought while falling back asleep.

In the morning I woke up slowly, stretching out before letting myself down from the tree and looking around for the man. As I suspected, whatever tree he decided to sleep in was far from the one I slept in, and there were no real tracks leading to his location because the deer had been drained of blood and the ground was chaotic enough to hide his footprints. I could probably find him by smell if I wasn't stuck with this worthless crippled nose, I thought. With a shrug, I set off back towards the road, then continued on my journey to Vehrehr.

In mid-afternoon I crossed over a stream of water, stopping to drink my fill from it before moving on. Soon after I saw a fox-like creature peeking out at me from the bushes, which resembled closely the fox icon I had seen on the sign of the inn I had stayed at in Frahmtehn. I debated going after it and trying to catch it for a later meal, but it was so skinny that I figured it wouldn't be worth the effort. Maybe if I had a bow, I considered, but I shelved the idea because of the inherent lack of effectiveness of such a weapon against creatures that could regenerate so quickly.

In mid-afternoon the road's declination suddenly became much steeper, and the trees started to thin out in front of me. Before long I was once again in an area that could be called a grassland instead of a forest, and in the distance I could see my destination. Along the shoreline, a great gray and brown growth extended inland in a roughly-circular shape, surrounded by groomed farming fields. Trodden paths, like tendrils, extended from the settlement in every direction and split off at regular intervals. Some boats, probably fishing-related, bobbed slowly in the water nearby and moved around using sails. Just like Frahmtehn, Vehrehr had a disturbing amount of smoke coming out of it, but also like Frahmtehn it was clearly coming from controlled fires for cooking and forging.

I came near the city in the late afternoon, and strange feelings of apprehension built within me while I walked towards it. It's like a hive, I thought. Even at a distance, the sheer number of humans was astonishing. The surface area of the city was most likely between triple and quadruple that of Frahmtehn, and the buildings were regularly built to three and four stories tall despite the primitive materials they were constructed of. The odors of waste, sweat, and other foulness were so intense that I had to slow myself to acclimate to it, and even outside the city proper the number of different kinds of people I could see was staggering. I'm still taller than everyone though, I noted.

I came to a footbridge over a clearly artificial river and was stopped by two armed men wearing white and gray uniforms, with leather coifs and simple iron helms covering up their hair. I couldn't read the sign which was suspended over my head between two crossed logs, but I suspected that it simply read “Vehrehr” or something similar. The bearded guard gestured to his clean-shaven partner to remain in position and stepped up to meet me. Absentmindedly, I rubbed my hand against my chin. No facial hair growth, I thought, a design oversight?

“Name?” the guard asked, his voice sounding like it was synthesized by grinding stones together.

“Yuwniht,” I replied. The guard looked back at his partner, who was scribbling something into a small notebook.

“You been to Vehrehr before?” the guard asked bluntly.

“No,” I replied. The guard narrowed his eyes and looked at me, examining my body top to bottom multiple times.

“Where're you from?” he prodded.

“Suwlahtk,” I replied. Both the bearded guard and his partner snorted. Something funny? I wondered.

“Somebody out there seytm a forest man or something?” he mocked. I didn't know what the word he used meant exactly, but I could infer. “What I'm saying is, you don't exactly look the type,” the guard finished.

“Does it matter?” I asked. The bearded guard snorted again, then sighed in exasperation.

“Look, you civilized?” he asked, laughing to himself.

“I am,” I answered, “don't worry, I won't lose my entry pass either.” I had given the entry pass from Frahmtehn up when I left, but I would have pulled it out to show the guard otherwise.

“Entry pass?” the guard laughed. “Oh, you won't last a day in here boy.” His partner laughed as well.

“Do I not need one?” I asked. I heard some voices behind me and looked back, seeing that a small line was forming.

“Look, don't kill anybody, don't steal anything, don't destroy anything, and don't piss anybody off,” the guard instructed. “It is neither our problem nor our responsibility to care what you do otherwise, but if you cross us you should expect an ass beating. More than that, if you really screw up you'll be floating under this bridge instead of walking over it,” There was silence for a moment as neither I nor the guard said anything. “If you can't restrain yourself, at least do it in the slums and don't get caught, alright?” the guard added.

“Agreed,” I said with a nod.

“Welcome to Vehrehr,” the bearded guard said, gesturing widely for me to enter, “I hope I never see your ugly face again.”

Navigation in Vehrehr was next to impossible. I had thought Frahmtehn was chaotic and crowded, but it was practically a ghost town compared to Vehrehr. Every street was packed, whether it be with people or animals or some combination of the two. There were fewer merchant stalls in the streets, but far more traffic to make up for the lack of them and far more stores. In under an hour, I was already so lost that I had no idea how to find my way back to the place I had entered from. Everything looked the same, but also subtly different, as if the city itself were generated by some immensely complex fractal.

How do they stand it? I wondered from a small alcove at the side of a street. The sheer number of humans exceeded what I had encountered in any settlement before. There have to be at least twenty thousand, maybe even thirty, I estimated. By contrast, the largest single warbreed base I had ever personally encountered housed five thousand individuals and was the largest in the region at the time. Steeling myself, I stepped back out into the street and found a flow of foot traffic that was moving in the direction I wanted to go.

“Ahh!” a juvenile human cried out from behind me. Not to be deterred, I crushed his hand even harder than before until I heard the bones snap. This is the ninth time one of these children has tried to grab my weapon, I thought angrily, are they really just so stupid that they think I wouldn't feel it?

“Next time, I cut it off,” I warned the boy.

“Npoyt jhehw seytay!” he snapped back, pulling away his hand once I released the pressure and dashing off into the mess of people in the street. I sighed and kept walking, wary of upsetting the humans by slowing down too much. Already learned that lesson, I thought. The sun was going down again, but just like in Frahmtehn people were beginning to take out lanterns and torches to keep the streets illuminated. This area looks more run down than the one I started in, I thought as I looked around, more of the buildings have partial wood construction as well. Seeing an alley coming up on my right, I ducked into it so I could take some time and plan where I was going to go. I need an inn, I thought, maybe I can ask someone?

“Well hello there!” a voice called from deeper in the alley. I looked over and saw a man strolling up to me carrying a walking stick of some kind, though he clearly didn't need it. His unkempt but short blonde hair had dark streaks of dirt in it, and his shaven face was held in a friendly smile that was also echoed by his ruby-colored eyes. Compared to the other humans in the area, his clothing looked to be of marginally higher quality, with his tunic being soft leather and his pants woven from some kind of dark fiber. A small knife, not unlike my utility knife, hung from a sheath on his waist; and his boots looked recently polished. That stick, it's a weapon, I realized when I took a second look. Very faintly I could see a circular crack partway down from the man's grip point, which meant it was most likely a concealed sword of some kind.

“Hello,” I replied simply and neutrally. The man stepped closer to me again, not standing just a meter and a half away from my position. His posture was relaxed and open, indicating that he was not likely to become hostile immediately.

“I have to say, I have never seen a man with your peculiar appearance before,” the man remarked. “You almost appear as though you could be Gwahlaob, but you are far too tall. Tell me, if you would, where are you from?”

“Suwlahtk,” I replied. The man's face turned into a curious expression.

“The same Suwlahtk founded seventy years ago by an offshoot of the Frahmtehn Luwahriy clergy?” the man asked. “The one in the southwest of Awsriyah island?”

“That one,” I replied. He likes to hear himself talk, I thought.

“How interesting,” the man remarked, “I was not aware that they allowed foreigners to join their community. As I understood it the entire purpose of the founding of Suwlahtk was as a hideaway from the increasing foreigner presence in Frahmtehn.” I had no idea if what the man was saying was true or not, but if it was it explained the large change in demographic makeup between Suwlahtk and the other settlements. “What is your name, if I may ask?” the man inquired politely.

“Yuwniht,” I said.

“Just... Yuwniht?” the man asked. “Yuwniht of Suwlahtk then?”

“Sure,” I agreed, once again remaining as neutral in tone and expression as possible. I have no idea what he's trying to say here, I thought, he's difficult to read.

“Tell me, Yuwniht of Suwlahtk, what brings you all the way to Vehrehr?” the man asked. “Surely this place must be somewhat overwhelming to a person like you.”

“I need to get to the mainland,” I told him. The man's eyes lit up.

“Ah, you need to charter a boat to Pehrihnk then,” he smiled. “It just so happens that I myself am heading in that direction. Do you know how to get to the docks from here? If you move quickly, you might reach them before the captains recall their crews.” I could get out of here tonight? I thought with surprise, I don't have much money but how much could it possibly be to charter a boat?

“Where are the docks?” I asked.

“Well, since we're headed to the same location, why don't I just lead you there?” the man offered. “Forgive me but even if you did not tell me your place of origin, you clearly have the look of someone unused to navigating a city like Vehrehr.” Maybe that's why those children kept trying to rob me, I sighed.

“I accept your offer,” I replied.

“Excellent!” the man grinned, clapping his hands together diagonally. “Just follow me and don't get lost. Call out if you need to slow down.” I nodded, and the man turned around and walked deeper into the alley. I followed along behind him, making sure to leave a few meters between us and keep my eyes out for an ambush. Either I happened upon someone who really is just this helpful, I thought, or this man picked the wrong target. If this is a trap I'll be sure to spot it, and I'll be sure to liberate this idiot and his friends of anything of value they're carrying. That should help make up for the money I lost to that merchant in Frahmtehn. The alleys twisted and turned and the sun crept lower, while I waited for my signal to strike.