“Friends! May I have a moment of your time?” Larion asked, as he jumped out from behind a pile of gold.

From the circle of chairs in the center of the wagon, everyone stared; though Serena, Pavel, Werond, Jo, and Cruck’aa sat with one another, not an ounce of discussion was had. A heavy weight had descended on the wagon, stifling any conversation, each person too tired, too numb, to say anything.

Serena and Pavel straightened up from their slouch to stare at Larion, Cruck’aa’s feathers ruffled the moment the man spoke, and Werond and Jo refused to give him the time of day.

Larion gulped.

“Ah! S-sorry, hopefully I’m not…!” Sweat glistened from his forehead despite the comfortable warmth of the wagon. “I uh…j-just wanted to uh…well, you all l-looked so depressed and –”

“Spit it out man!” Cruck’aa yelled.

“Right! Well,” He stepped towards the circle. “I just w-wanted to thank you all, I suppose, for getting me safely to Waterdeep – or almost I guess, though we’re basically there – and allowing me to walk free, knowing that I want nothing more to do with the cult or any of their activities, as Pavel so graciously explained to all of you yesterday –”

“Is there a point to all this?” Jo asked dryly.

“Yes!” Larion hopped back and disappeared behind a stack of gold; the sounds of rummaging emanated from where he had been, and when Larion came back, his arms where full of preciously balanced bundles of cloth.

“I know Werond already talked about selling the wagon and everything Waterdeep earlier,” Larion said, as he approached the circle and placed the bundles on a chair. “but I took the liberty of going through what I had and picking some things out for you all that I’d think you’d like! Again, my thanks for keeping me alive, and hopefully something to cheer everyone up! We survived! We should be happy, right?”

Serena and Pavel glared at Larion; next to Serena, Werond shot him a look of disgust.

“Really Larion?” Pavel asked. “I don’t think any of us are in the mood for something like this.”

Larion grabbed the first bundle and ripped the cloth from it.

“But what if I told you I could replace your broken arms and armor, friend Pavel?” Larion asked; his voice had shifted to a tone more comfortable in the market stalls than on a caravan.

Pavel raised his brows.

“Yes! For you, I have a matching set!” Larion said, handing over a chest piece of metal strips woven to leather. “Splint mail that adjusts to your size! Though that’s standard if I’m being honest. And inside, a matching sword and flail! You know, for that added reach!”

Pavel stared at Larion, before he accepted the bundle; with a blink of surprise, he examined the finely made armor and weapons, hefting the flail into the light.

“Huh. Been awhile since I used the old ball and chain…” he mumbled, inspecting the spiked ball at the end of the chain.

“Ah! I knew you’d enjoy it! And for you two!” Larion addressed Jo and Cruck’aa before anyone else could speak; he turned towards his pile of bundles and ripped the cloth from another and hoisted up two lengths of yew. “Matching bows! Made from the finest wood! I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to get for you,” He said towards Cruck’aa. “but with all that flying you do, I thought a bow wouldn’t hurt!”

“I don’t want anything –” Cruck’aa began to say, before Larion cut him off as he shoved the bow into his talons and handed the other off to Jo.

“Nonsense! You don’t know just how much you’ll enjoy this one! Enchanted to be easier to string, easier to fire, and much more accurate than normal.” He winked at Jo, as he handed over the cords. “Should pack more of a punch than your typical bow, too!”

Jo looked quizzically at the bow and cord, then shrugged; Cruck’aa stared incredulously at her as Jo began to string the bow. Before he could say anything, Larion flipped around to his last bundle, and ripped the cloth off.

“And for you lovely ladies!” He said, staff and necklace in hand. “I put extra thought into these. For my pyromaniac friend,” Serena frowned. “I just so happened to have a magical little staff here that you’d might like!”

Larion handed over the staff, one made of steel and bronze with a tiny decorative brazier at its head. Serena accepted it with wide eyes.

“That, my friend, is a wonderful staff known as a Staff of Fire! Helps with your wonderful fire magic and has its own repertoire of fiery spells! No, I don’t know how that works, don’t ask me.” He winked. “Don’t burn yourself. And you, my lovely lady!” He turned towards Werond and handed over a necklace stringed with sparkling diamonds. “Only the finest jewelry, sparkling just as much as your eyes do on a summer’s day!”

Werond accepted the necklace with one hand, staring at him as though he’d grown a second head. Larion bowed to her.

“I do hope you’ll wear it and always think of me. And that!” He said, as Larion turned towards the rest of the group. “Is all I have for you all! I do hope you enjoy it, and remember your good friend Larion, who always made sure to look out for you! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need some sleep!”

Larion bowed once more, turned on his heel, and hopped over to the back of the wagon; with a flick of his wrist, he flung the flaps open, and hopped out into the night.

Everyone stared at where he had been, the only sound coming from Jo as she plucked the now strung bow.

Pavel turned towards the rest of them. “Well, that’s nice and all. Not sure how good it was at making me feel better, what with everything…but I don’t know what he’s covering his bases for. I don’t think anyone’s going to stop him from running off.”

“Yes, that was rather sad, if anything.” Cruck’aa said, as he dropped the bow at his talons.

“Wasn’t all too bad.” Werond said, holding the necklace into the light. “This should fetch something nice at the market. Serena won’t even need to pay me at that point.”

“No, I’ll still pay you your wages, that’s only fair.” Serena replied.

“But now you can pay me in other ways, huh?”

“Uh, anyways,” Jo interrupted as Serena blushed. “that reminds me a bit, what do we plan on doing with all this?”

“What? What Larion gave us?” Pavel asked, tapping on the splint mail.

“No, I mean the mountains of gold that sit around us Pavel. Kind of hard to miss.”

“Honestly, I kind of like it all.” Serena signed. “Reminds me of Ned’s house.”

“Yes, because he just had mountains of gold, didn’t he?” Cruck’aa rolled his eyes.

“Well, more than this, but –”

“Actually,” Werond interjected. “been thinking on that. I don’t know how long you all plan on staying in Waterdeep for, but you could open a joint bank account, make it so all of you have access to it. ‘course, it’ll need to be in someone’s name, but you’ll still be able to pull from it.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad actually,” Pavel said, as everyone around him, save Cruck’aa, nodded. “keep it safe until we need it. Whose name will it be in then?”

Serena’s hand shot up.

“That was a bit too fast there, Serena.” He shrugged. “Fine by me though. If you want to pretend to be a dragon, be my guest.”

…

Excitement bubbled in Serena’s chest, filling her with a restless energy. She fidgeted on the driver’s bench, picking at the helm of her skirt, as she stared up at the slowly approaching stone walls of Waterdeep.

By noon of the following day, their tiny caravan had rounded the last corner of the Trade Way, giving an unobstructed view of the final leg of their journey.

The Trade Way continued through a rolling sea of green, the coast’s signature fields extending out before them. Further away, the hills slowly transitioned to rough outcroppings, large rocks and stony ground becoming prevalent, until they dropped away entirely, plummeting to what Serena assumed where cliffsides. The cliffs extended as far as the hills, until they softened, gradually becoming flatter, until they smacked into the walls of Waterdeep, sitting impressively at the edge of the coast.

The walls of the city looked no different than those of Daggerford, and Serena swore the same grey stone bricks had been used by both. Instead, her eyes had gone wide at the sheer length of the walls when they came into view; they seemed to extend for miles, dwarfing the size of Daggerford even from a distance. They extended across the way until the walls curved out of sight, though the various pointed wooden tops of guard towers could still be seen.

And poking barely above the walls of Waterdeep stood the very top of a castle, one that looked right at home in the tales that Serena’s Mother had told her, so long ago. Just the sight of it set Serena on the edge of her seat.

“Okay, okay!” She signed to Werond. “Is the big castle looking thing in the middle the castle of Waterdeep? Does a king live there or something?”

Werond laughed. “No darling, no king. But that is Castle Waterdeep. The Masked Lords and Open Lords all work together there, doing whatever it is bureaucrats do. The only person I could think of being close to a king, or queen really, is Lady Silverhand. She’s the head of the government right now, though she doesn’t do anything without talking to the other Open Lords and Masked Lords first.”

Serena nodded, her eyes narrowed; Werond glanced over at her and smiled.

“Right, you don’t know about any of that, sorry. Um…Masked Lords, there’s a lot of them, I think around twenty-one right now. They oversee a big number of local affairs, tending to the small problems of the city, but they always hold council and discuss the main issues plaguing everyone, and what needs to be done about them.” She sniffed. “Rather boring really. But the Open Lords are different. There’s four of them, and they handle the big problems that the Masked Lords bring to them. They have a lot of power, but they’re kept in check by the Masked Lords, if needed. Lady Silverhand is the current” Werond waved her hands. “main leader of Waterdeep. She lives in the castle and is probably what you’re thinking of when you asked if a king or queen lived there. I’ve seen her before, she was elected for a reason. Woman is damned smart, crafty too.”

“You’ve seen her before?!” Serena asked, twisting to fully face Werond. “What’s she like? Is she nice? Does she rule with an iron-fist?”

“Okay.” Werond said; she placed a hand on Serena’s face, and gently pushed her back. “No more talking until we’re in the city.”

Serena smiled and shoved her hand away.

She leaned back in the bench, shoved her excitement down as best she could, and watched the walls of the city slowly approach.

The closer their caravan rolled to the front of Waterdeep, the wider Serena’s eyes became; from far out, the walls appeared the same height as the walls of Daggerford, but the closer they got, Serena realized that they greatly dwarfed Daggerford’s. By the time the wagons began to approach the massive wooden gate, Serena had to lean her head back to fully gaze up at the top of the walls.

“H-how big are they?!” She signed, gazing up in awe.

“Uhm, the walls? Five stories, I think?” Werond replied. “Been awhile since I brushed up on my Waterdeep facts.”

“Why?!”

Werond shrugged. “They really don’t want outside things to come in, I guess.”

“When the city was first built, the main thing they had to deal with were giant attacks.”

Serena leaned forward and looked around Werond as the wagon slowly came to a halt in front the main gate. Pavel had hopped out the back and walked around the front on Werond’s side, stack of sweaty papers in hand. His new set of armor glittered in the sun, sword and flail strapped to his belt.

“Was quite the pain in the ass apparently.” Pavel continued, sorting through the papers. “So, the people of the time put their heads together, and figured that if they could build a wall taller than the giants, then they wouldn’t have any problems. So, they did, and they made the walls.”

“Oh.” Serena signed. “Wait…but how did they make the walls that tall?”

“Beats me. I’m just telling you what my sergeant told me a while ago.”

A small door, carved into the massive gate, flung open; a man stepped onto the road, and closed the door halfway behind himself. Every inch of him was covered in plate mail, with a red tunic underneath. He stood tall, half-helm adding to his height, and appeared more confident than all the guards in Daggerford combined.

He leaned his spear against the door and strode up to Pavel, eyeing him under his helm.

“Afternoon.” the guard said gruffly. “Caravan coming in? You got papers?”

“Indeed, I do sir.” Pavel replied, and handed over the stack. “Apologies, they’ve been in my pocket the entire ride.”

“Ah, don’t matter. Seen worse, held worse. At least you have the papers.” The guard fell silent as he shuffled through them.

He blinked, looked up, and stared at the wagon, craning his neck to glance at the two behind it.

“These correct? Your caravan is supposed to have thirteen wagons, where’re the other ten?”

“Gone.” Pavel replied. “We were attacked just a couple of days ago. We…” Pavel looked up and sighed deeply. “We lost the majority of the caravan. Picked up the best we could.”

Werond lowered her head as Serena looked away, her chest tightening. She thought that she had shoved away those feelings, but at Pavel’s words, they came flooding back.

“Lathander’s Balls.” The guard cursed. “Ah, deepest apologies. I…gods, that hasn’t happened in a long time. I’m sorry, really I am.” He sighed and handed the papers back to Pavel. “I’ll open the gate for you all. Roll up towards the checkpoint, you’ll see it. I’ll make sure the inspection is quick.”

The guard turned on his heel and fled back behind the gate, door slamming loudly. After a moment, the sound of a wooden scratching on wood emanated from behind it, and gate slowly rolled inward.

The pang in Serena’s chest melted away as the city of Waterdeep slammed into her.

The dirt path of the Trade Way abruptly transitioned to a cobblestone road, large enough to accommodate two wagons traveling both directions. It went straight until it split into a V, and on all sides, rows upon rows of buildings towered up, their wooden roofs pointed to the sky. Each building looked almost the same, like giant upright stone bricks that a giant had carved windows and doorways into; they were painted a dull mixture of greys and beiges, many the same color as the road, and they almost reminded Serena of the rocky outcroppings outside the city. The paint and natural colors looked weathered, as though they were painted a lifetime ago and no one had the time to fix them.

Barely any alleyways ran through the buildings, giving them the appearance of a solid wall that someone had cut doors and windows into. Unable to tell one building from another, and with so many packed on all sides, the sight almost overwhelmed Serena. But not as much as the sheer number of people packed within the city.

Windows here and there were flung open, some with children pointing to the ground below, others with tired looking women hanging up dripping clothes, others still occupied with the lean of day drinkers and merrymakers, who shouted from across the road at one another, their voices lost in the cacophony of the city below.

Denizens of all kinds, from humans to dwarves to elves and half-orcs, mingled through the road. They formed crowds that blocked the way for the wagons and carriages that tried to drive through, teamsters snapping at horses and bystanders alike. Men and women clad in sweat-stained tunics unloaded crates from wagons, hoisting them up and carrying them into various buildings. A group of dwarves dressed in fine silks walked against the side of the buildings, avoiding the crowds, casting looks to any who glanced their way. A Tiefling stood at the tip of the V, balanced on a wooden crate, shouting the news for the day, waving stacks of newspaper above his head. Children – mainly humans and halflings – ducked and weaved through the crowds, shouts thrown their way, as they laughed in the sunlight. And intermingled between them all, men and women of all races, clad in tightly cinched robes of yellow and green and leather armor, patrolled the streets, shields and truncheons at the ready.

She’d never heard so loud a racket as the city of Waterdeep.

Mixed among the din and sights, scents of freshly baked goods, of tanned leather, of upturned chamber pots, of wet clothes and animals, assaulted Serena like a maelstrom. A large shadow darkened the sky above them, and Serena jumped as two griffon riders, clad in the same arms and armor of the Guard, flew overhead, and into the city.

Serena leaned back in the bench, eyes still wide, hands clutching her seat. She jumped again as Werond laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Not like Daggerford huh?” Werond raised her voice over the crowds. “Bit more packed, right?”

“There’s so many…everything!” Serena signed, head flipping around as though she could see it all. “I, I just, never seen –”

The wagon rocked as Pavel stood on the foot rail next to Werond.

“You never been here before Serena?” He asked; Pavel laughed as she shook her head. “Oh, you and Werond are in for a treat then!”

“What? I live here Pavel!” Werond said with a confused grin.

“No, I know. I mean with having to explain everything to her! Cause I ain’t doing it!” Pavel grinned as Werond rolled her eyes, before pointing. “Follow the guard, by the way.”

“Don’t tell me how to do my job, Captain.” Werond said, as she snapped the reins. “Actually, you lost that job now that we’re here, huh?”

“Yes, but I’ll always be the captain of all your hearts!”

Before Pavel could grin, Werond placed a hand against his chest, and shoved him off the rail; he caught himself just before colliding with a group of half-orcs, all of whom puffed up at the sight of a flustered Pavel.

“Werond!” Serena struggled to sign through her giggles. “Don’t do that! He could get hurt!”

“He’s got a thick skull, he’ll be fine. Now – hey!” Werond barked towards a group of gnomes who wandered off the sidewalk and into the road. “You got eyes! Use them! Git!”

Serena blinked as the group scattered out of the way; for once, she was thankful that she didn’t have to drive.

The guard from the gate motioned for their tiny caravan to follow, the people in the road giving him a wide berth; he waved his spear, now adorned with a small yellow flag, as Werond slowly rolled after him, cursing each person that jumped in their way. Though they only rolled some feet, Serena counted three times that she feared Werond might run someone over.

Their three wagons parked in a line nearest to the Tiefling at the fork, next to a set of buildings that seemed cleaner than the rest. Their beige walls appeared as though they’d been washed that morning, and the sun gleamed brightly from freshly polished windows. A door slammed open from the middle building, and two guards in similar garb as the first, came marching out. Each had a large bag strapped to their side, and as they walked towards the Sleeper and Lasfelro’s wagon, one gave a similar bag to the first guard. He strapped it to his side, then jogged back over to Pavel.

“Alright,” he said. “just need to inspect the contents of the wagons first, take the tax from them as per the usual standard.” He waved a hand. “You all know this. Tax collected from each wagon, and if they’re no goods, then a small fee is levied. We’ll collect it here and you all will be on your way…save we find something illegal, of course.”

“Right, right.” Pavel nodded, as he fought to steady his breathing. “I’ll be honest though, not sure how you’ll take the taxes out of everything in the back.”

“I assure you sir, I’ve been doing this for over fifteen years now, I’ll figure it out.”

The guard turned and marched towards the back of the wagon, Pavel on his heels. After a moment, the wagon dipped as they climbed aboard.

“So,” Werond said as she leaned back in the bench. “what do you think? Pretty hectic place during the day, but it’s got its charm.”

“There’s so many buildings!” Serena signed, as she tried to memorize what each one looked like.

Werond laughed.

“Yes, there’s quite a few. Lot more than Daggerford.”

“Are we in one of the Wards? That’s what you called them at Daggerford, right?”

“Yes, spot on. We’re in the Southern Ward. Or Caravan City. Either one works. Poorest ward, but it’s where the caravans from the places south of Waterdeep enter through. They get quite a few so there’s always newcomers. Probably the shadiest place here as well, what with all the crime. It’s why there’s so many guards around.” She grinned. “Just wait until you see the nicer parts of the city. Like where I live. The difference is staggering.”

“Really?!” Serena scooted closer to Werond. “How?! What’s the difference?”

“Why would I tell you when we’ll see it in an hour?”

“Because you’re nice and don’t want to tease me?”

“How long have you known me?”

“Too long already.” Serena said, scooting back to her seat as Werond laughed. She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, completely different thought, but why are we being searched here? Why not outside the gate? Isn’t that safer?”

The mirth vanished from Werond, her pleasant mood gone with the wind that blew through the streets.

“You would think!” She said, as she threw her hands up. “They used to but now they don’t! Gods, it’s ridiculous! You don’t know, of course, but there was an incident that occurred, oh I don’t know, three, four years ago? A caravan came in and was stopped, and the guards started searching it. The protocol was to close the gate behind them, but apparently the guards on duty that day didn’t do that. So, when a small group of god damn orcs jumped out of the wagons and killed them, they were able to push their way inside and start fucking with everything! Course, they didn’t do much, got put down pretty fast. No one knows what the hell they were thinking, maybe that there was something quick to grab at the gates? I don’t know. What I do know is that, a week after that, they changed the laws and dictated that caravans had to come into the city to be searched! Just because one of the guard’s mothers petitioned for a change in the laws, and somehow convinced all the Masked Lords! Had to change up the entire infrastructure.” Werond pointed angerly at the guard barracks. “That’s new! That wasn’t here three years ago! That used to be a damn shoe shop! A good one too! And then the city had to divert funds to make it up to code for guards to live in! Waste of damned resources!” Werond punctuated the word with guttural yell, and she slammed her back into the bench, arms crossed.

Halfway through her rant, Serena leaned away from Werond and into the armrest; now, she stared with wide eyes. “Oh, uhm…sorry, I didn’t mean to –”

“No! No, it’s fine! You don’t need to apologize.” Werond waved her hands without looking at Serena. “The fucking Masked Lords need to apologize for this waste of effort! I have been trying to get that decision ch–” Werond flinched and shook her head. “I’ve been complaining about that decision to everyone since it was enacted. Everyone feels the same, but none of the right people listen!” Werond sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry. I’ve had at least three years to get pissed off at this.”

“I guess I would be mad too, if I lived in the city.”

“You would. You absolutely would.”

The wagon rocked backwards; after a moment, the guard and Pavel came around the side. The bag strapped to the guard’s side was slightly larger, as though he was carrying something. Pavel held a look of disappointment, as he glanced at the guard.

“Right,” the guard said. “gave a look over, counted it all out based on volume, and took the cut for the city. Lovely bird you all have back through, by the way. Papers are with him.” He jerked a thumb at Pavel. “You all are free to go and enjoy your stay in Waterdeep.” As he spoke, his companions came out from behind the other two wagons; they conversed briefly with Torno and Lasfelro, before all three of them headed back into the guard barracks together.

“I thought for sure he’d freak out.” Pavel said, stuffing the papers into his pocket. “He just got mad a Cruck’aa for being his normal self. And then he took a small cut and left! Nothing!”

“Guards have seen all kinds of things, Pavel.” Werond replied. “Takes a lot to surprise them.”

“I guess.”

The wagon rocked again. The three of them turned as Larion, slightly sweaty, stepped out and onto the sidewalk. He clutched a small messenger bag to his chest and looked around, eyes frantic.

“Are we good?” Larion asked, stepping towards Pavel. “The guard release us? We passed inspection?”

“Uhm, yes, weren’t you there when he was –”

“Fantastic!” Larion said. “Have a great life!”

He bowed once to Pavel, once to Serena, and once to Werond, before he turned on his heel, and ran into the street. Before Serena could blink, he dodged a carriage, threaded his way through a crowd of wide-eyed sightseers, crossed to the other side, and disappeared into an alley way.

Serena couldn’t help but stare. Next to her, Werond shook her head.

“I really hope you didn’t need him for anything, Pavel. He’s long gone now.”

“No, he’s fine.” Pavel said with a chuckle. “Didn’t think he’d run off that fast though. Good riddance.”

As he spoke, the flick of reins could be heard from behind them; after a moment, Lasfelro’s wagon slowly rolled into the street. Bystanders quickly moved out of the way as he picked up speed and moved past their wagon. Just as Serena thought he was leaving completely, the wagon stopped, confusing even more bystanders who’d moved preemptively.

Jemna poked her head out the back and grinned at the three of them.

“Welp! Time for us to get outta here!” She yelled, shrill voice causing people to stare. “Lassie and I got things to do! Good traveling with ya! See ya!”

Without waiting for a reply, Jemna pulled her head back into the wagon. From the front, Lasfelro twisted around and waved. Serena, Werond, and Pavel waved back.

With another flick, he urged his horses forward, and began down the road, avoiding people and animals alike.

A small weight seemed to settle in Serena’s chest; she hadn’t been close to any of them, but seeing the caravan, once so full, finally drift apart, saddened her. As though part of her life was coming to an end.

Before she could think further, Torno pushed through a line of elves on the sidewalk and stood next to Pavel.

“Hey, so, what’s the deal? Everyone just leaving?” She asked, looking from Pavel to Werond.

“For the most part. I think we’re planning on staying together,” Pavel gestured towards the wagon. “until we can figure things out. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

“Honestly? I’ll pass. Think I’ve seen enough excitement for a couple of months. Find a cushy job here or something. No offense.” Torno added, putting her hands up.

“None taken.” Werond said. “Pavel, where’s the caravan office? We should get our pay together before Torno heads off.”

“Oh, right, almost forgot.” He fished the papers back out and fingered through them. “Woodbridge’s office is…third right, coming up from The Way of the Dragon road…which…” He looked around. “is somewhere I’m sure.”

“Well, we’re on that road now. Oh!” Werond slapped her knee. “I know the place, it’s in the square over here. We’re not far. Torno,” she turned towards the other guard of the caravan. “follow behind me and we’ll get your pay. We’re going to sell off all the wagons and horses too, and I think we’d all be happy to give you whatever the wagons go for. Right?”

Serena and Pavel nodded; it was the least they could do for her.

Torno blinked, taken back.

“Oh, uhm, no I couldn’t do that, my normal pay is fine.”

“Nope,” Pavel said. “you refused a cut of everything we got from Larion, least we could do is give this to you. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

“No, really sir, I can’t, that’s –”

“Torno, without your help, I’d be dinner for a giant. You’re getting paid more whether you like it or not.”

“Oh, alright!” Torno said with a grin. “If you insist! I’ll just follow behind you all then, lead the way!”

With a spring in her step, Torno turned and ran back to the wagon, just in time to shoo off two overly curious dwarven children from climbing into the bench.

Pavel watched her, before he turned back to Werond.

“I’ll leave getting there up to you then?” He gave a thumbs up when Werond nodded. “Okay, I’ll hop in the back then.”

“So how does…uh, all we’re about to do work?” Serena asked, as the wagon dipped once more. “I know we talked about the bank and everything, but I’ve never used any of that before.”

“Pretty simple actually.” Werond flicked the reins and urged the horses forward, angling them down the left side of the V; she stopped to let another wagon pass, bystanders scattering around it. “The gold in the back will be stuffed into an account, and we’ll set it up so there’s enough keys for everyone to grab as much as they need, whenever they need it. The other stuff though, the wagons and horses, and whatever else you want to sell in the back, needs to be done through the caravan office.” Werond slowed the wagon down, as a passing man bent down in the middle of the road to pick up a copper piece. “I didn’t know you all had been contracted through Woodbridge, they’re pretty good. We can give everything to them after they appraise it, and they’ll throw a cut of money our way. We don’t get as much because we’re going through them, and not independent buys, but at this point, who cares? I just want to be done with all this.”

“Ah, okay. So, we can all get the money?”

“Everyone but me, yeah.” Werond replied, angling the wagon around a pair of half-orcs standing in the road. “Gods damnit, roads are cramped today.”

Serena raised her hands to reply, then stopped; Werond needed to concentrate on the road, rather than talk with her. Instead, she leaned back into the bench, and continued scanning the city.

The road they were on went straight for a way, until it curved out of sight behind the wall of buildings. As they inched closer to the curve, Werond stopping and starting every odd foot, the amount of people in the road began to thicken, until she wondered if it was even possible to drive through them.

A shrill whistle pierced the air; two city guards came from around the curve and gestured towards everyone, waving their truncheons, directing them to the sidewalks. Werond waved at one as they shoved most of the crowds away from the road, allowing them to finally pass, much to the loud anger of everyone else.

Just as the wagon rounded the corner, Serena’s eyes went wide again.

The road stretched out into the distance, looking much like the Trade Way in length, until it collided with another wall of buildings, splitting into a T, barely visible from where they were. Just as before, two more solid walls of buildings stretched out on either side of the road, forming what appeared to be a-mile-long wall on each side of the sidewalk. This time though, more alleyways were cut into them, smaller squares hidden away between the walls, alleviating that cramped feeling.

More wagons from before crowded the street, traffic going in both directions, enough that there were almost no crowds clogging their way. Instead, many of the city guard, their tunics in a blinding yellow, corralled the bystanders onto the sidewalks, forming massive crowds that could barely move past one another. Despite their best efforts, many still tried to wander into the road or cross at inopportune times, much to the guards and teamster’s chagrin.

Serena almost covered her ears as the wagon slowly began to roll down the road; despite not being much further away from the gate, this part of the city was much louder, the harsh maelstrom of shrieks and shouting piercing her ears to an unbearable degree. She sank down in her seat and scooted closer to Werond.

“Is it always like this?” She asked with a grimace.

Werond leaned in towards Serena’s ear. “Yup!” She said, voice raised over the crowd. “Main street over here, all the business are on this strip. I only ever come here after a job.” She straightened up and pointed to a spot on the right of the road, further up. “See that archway? That’s where we’re going. Woodbridge’s offices and banks are over there. Just need to – hey!” Serena jumped as Werond made herself heard, yelling at a wagon about to cut her off. “The fuck are you doing?! Really?!” She gestured rudely at the Tiefling driver, who’d stopped in the middle of the road and gestured right back. “Fucking idiot!”

Serena grinned; something about seeing Werond, normally a calm driver, so fired up over city traffic was amusing to her.

It didn’t take long for Werond to weave the wagon through the packed street, dodging more wagons and oblivious bystanders, and halt in an open space beside the sidewalk, something that Werond called an act of the gods. Jutting out from the throngs of people that lined the sidewalk, a smaller path extended towards an archway built between two large buildings. Huge letters were carved into the top of it, the words WOODBRIDGE SQUARE visible even if Serena had been standing on the other side of the road. A plaza opened through the alleyway, cut into the middle of densely packed buildings, with market stalls and shops of all kinds filling the edges. Two bored looking guards flanked either side of the archway, eyeing the various citizens that filtered through.

“We’re here!” Werond yelled, leaning her head through the front flaps.

She stood up and hopped off the wagon, landing in front of the crowds; Serena followed close behind, as Torno’s wagon slowed to a halt behind theirs, Torno hopping down soon after.

Their wagon dipped as Pavel hopped out the back, followed closely behind by Cruck’aa and Jo, all of whom already in an argument.

“…saying is that it’s ridiculous!” Cruck’aa said, as he followed Pavel and Jo to the edge of the sidewalk. “That cut he took was far too much! Pavel, do you even –”

“No, I don’t, but I trust he took the right amount.” Pavel said, eyes half closed.

“How?! How can you –”

“Cruck’aa,” Jo flipped around and stared at the Aarakocra, who was already being stared at by the crowds around them. “why are you complaining? What were you going to do, decline the tax? Get arrested?”

“All I’m saying –”

“Hey!” Werond yelled; all three started and looked at her. “Enough! Seriously, too tired for this. Pavel, do you know what to do to get paid?” He nodded. “Good, then follow Serena and I through the front,” she jerked a thumb towards the archway. “and turn right when we turn left. The bank and caravan office are right across from each other.”

“And what will you two be doing?” Cruck’aa demanded, as he shoved past Jo and Pavel to stand directly in front of Werond. For the first time, Serena realized they were the same height, though they were both taller than her.

“We’ll be going to the bank and setting up a group account for…the stuff.” Werond said flatly, glancing towards the crowds behind her. “Serena isn’t going to know how to make one, so I need to help her.”

“And why is it just you two going?” Cruck’aa narrowed his eyes. “You don’t plan on –”

“Because you and Jo need to watch the wagons with Torno until we get back?” Werond eyed Cruck’aa as though he’d grown a second head. “If we all go, someone’s going to steal the wagons, Cruck’aa, even in broad daylight. We’re not in the best part of town.”

He stared at her, beady eyes still narrowed, beak moving in a silent grumble. After a moment, he turned around and walked back to stand beside Jo, who shot him a bemused look.

“Well, that sounds like a plan to me.” Jo said; with a grunt, she stretched her arms over her head. “Gods, I’m getting hungry. We need to eat after all this. Could really use something better than the crap we had on the caravan. Oh!” she said. “Mashed potatoes! Gods, haven’t had that one in forever! Werond, there a place we could get those around here?”

Before Werond could respond, Pavel let loose a short laugh.

“Jo,” he said, smirk on his face. “I fell for that the first time; I’m not falling for it again. And I’m not going to let you trick everyone else with that.”

Jo froze, arms still above her head. Beside her, Torno raised her brows.

“Fall for what?”

“That trick they get greenies with. Old buddy of mine, Mercutio, got me with it. Not going to work this time though!”

Jo dropped her hands, her eyes now wide.

“Are you…Pavel, are you saying mashed potatoes aren’t real?”

“Alright,” Werond said; she grabbed Serena’s arm and began to pull her into the crowd. “alright, none of that, let’s get this done.”