“…Aldmoor began as a frontier town for retired soldiers and their half-heritage kin after the Fiendish wars. It is governed by a council of merchants and crafters,and is free from the influence of nobles and largely relies on trade and income from adventurers. Connected by the port of Chasm's Edge to the north and several land routes, and access to the Great Faeriweald, it has flourished to become an envied centre of commerce for those seeking greener pastures…”- excerpt from Valerith Quillworth’s Treatise on the History of the Alkerdian Continent.

Elenaril took in the grey facade of the three story building in front of her as she pulled at her stiff blouse collar. She watched the trex drawn wagon entering and leaving from a large service gate, alongside porters and couriers picking up large items from within the building.

Smoke billowed from an adjoining section of the premises. Part of the building was loud with the clanging of several smithing hammers and the yelling of crafters as they took care of the day’s orders. If the girl standing beside her showed any sign of being bothered by the din, she didn’t show it. If anything, she seemed nonchalant and was giving the sign above the storefront a critical eye, as if she was looking for flaws.

Suffice to say, the sign emblazoned Yondouk’s Magical Emporium and Aersmithy was in pristine condition. It was strategically placed to catch the eye of any pedestrian walking the streets. At night, the chromastones would light up to showcase the sign; a true hallmark of a 25-hour business.

Though old, like the rest of the establishment, it was well maintained as a dwarven construction could be. It wore its aged flaking coat of paint well, like a proud pioneer of the town. It was as old as Aldmoor, after all.

“Elenaril, what are we doing here?” Hanna asked, tugging her companion’s blouse sleeve. She seemed rather fidgety, standing on the street as she cast her eyes about. Anyone who thought she was nervous would have been mistaken, however.

It was quite the opposite. The human girl was just bubbling with energy because the sylvani had accepted her offer to go shopping. She had pulled all the stops, even going as far as to request that her shift be moved when she got word that her guild colleague had gotten a leave of absence for a few weeks.

“I’m going to request overtime for my shifts. I have more time than I know what to do with,” Elenaril stated as they began to walk towards the main doors.

“Huh? I didn’t know you worked here. I thought we came here to do shopping for magical items. Not that I wouldn’t ‘cause I brought a lot of gold with me just for today. But come now, all you think is work, work, work. It’s called a break for a reason you know. Plus, you are not getting any younger…girls like us should be out having fun, not getting calluses from holding quills like desk grunts. I think my derriere is becoming flat just from sitting through my shifts.”

“One, I am a sylvani—I have all the time on Eryth to do with as I see fit. Two, maybe you should stop sitting on your rear and work while standing. You should try in sometimes, it even gives you firmer muscles,” Elenaril smirked.

“Eugh!, who wants to be all muscular? I wouldn’t be caught dead with farmers’ calves.”

As they reached the doors, a golem with two pearlescent opals for eyes and a fire opal in the middle of its forehead regarded them with scrutiny. Argerum conduits stood out against the ceramic appearance of magestone.

The alloy flowed through its cheeks, forming tearlines of gold, and accentuated its form elsewhere by swirling along the contours of its limbs, chest, and joints. Its fingers were not the four digits of a battle-type golem but the five that made it almost humanoid in appearance. The artistic layout gave the golem a lithe appearance and beauty of an antique teacup. Yet it still managed to remain no less imposing at two metra of height.

With a flash of the gems that made up its ocular foci, the golem identified them before opening the glass and brass entrance with the finesse of an experienced doorman.

“I can never get used to that,” Elenaril opined.

“What do you mean?” enquired Hanna as she jogged to catch up to her as they entered a large foyer. The air inside was cooler, a stark contrast from the outside, where the afternoon sun beat on the brows of pedestrians. The frost enchantments in the walls bespoke the wealth of the establishment—also, it was also a practical way to advertise the emporium's craft.

“I mean, the way the golems use that [Identify] skill. It makes my skin crawl every time,”

“Oh, sorry. I had an obfuscation pendant, so I barely felt it. Is it true that a mageborn can feel someone scrying or analysing them? I wish I was like you, but chore cantrips are all I can do.”

“Being a mage-born isn’t all that it's cut out to be, especially if you want to be a mage. Even if the tomes are not expensive for you, studying is backbreaking work, literally. You have to bend over when reading some books, they’re so heavy.”

“Why not have a scribe copy the notes for you?” Hanna said as she started browsing the products on display on either side of the isle they’d just entered.

“With whose money?” Elenaril deadpanned. She followed her friend’s stare as she looked at the mannequins wearing suits of armor. Some sets had an accompanying weapon like a sword and shield, or a glaive and bracer.

Some were made of mundane metals like dwarf steel which reflected the mage light shining directly above the display cases. There were also leather armors and mage robes made of fabric that radiated magic.

However, she knew that these products were just for exhibition—the real things were further inside. Going further in, they came to another set of double doors manned by a human doorkeeper regarded them with a practiced smile.

They entered a large hall that had counters arrayed in a reverse U-shape. It was as long as a tennis pitch and half as wide. There were several sections each manned by both a cashier and an clerk who attended to clients.

Though it was high noon, the counters looked rather busy, from adventurers shopping for gear, housewives who wanted to recharge magical items or buy new ones, or just browsing for new household goods.

There were also a handful of other people getting potions from the potioneer and apothecary section where crystal bottles glistened with colorful magical liquids. An enchanter sat at a sequestered workstation where an appraiser looked at adventurers’ loot using an [Appraisal] artifact.

“Well, what do you think?” Elenaril asked her dazed and goggle-eyed friend.

“If you’re asking for a merchant’s opinion?” Hanna swallowed. “The proprietor looks like a pragmatic person. The room has a minimalist theme, no gaudy decorations at all. They’ve placed their wares where everyone can see them. Like the shields and swords see,” commented Hanna as she pointed towards two of the walls that had wooden weapon racks. “It also makes sense to just have a few pieces but a wide variety for exhibition since adventurers like to have their gear customized most of the time—”

“ And placing different counters within the same hall? It's brilliant! I’d run out of coin in no time just from being overwhelmed by all the products on display. I also think having a work station for household goods and apothecary products is an excellent idea. I speculate the apothecary is an independent business just paying for the space, am I right?” Elenaril nodded.

“And then the flooring—he didn’t use any fancy material or anything, just good old wood. It even looks worn from use; must be popular. Er, sorry I just ramble when I get into it sometimes.”

“No problem at all, you’ll make a great [Merchant] yourself someday.” Elenaril chuckled. C’mon, let’s go see the shift overseer.”

She made her way across the room to the attendant furthest from them and showed her work tag.

“Hiya Orniel, is the shift overseer in?” addressed Elenaril. The attendant simply grunted an affirmative and then pointed to the door behind him as he went back to serving customers.

“Oh, he’s at the aersmithy?”shaking her head, the half elf didnt let the attendant’s attitude bother her as she ducked under the counter door. She beckoned Hanna to follow. “Well then Hanna, wanna see an aership up close?”

“For reals? I’ve never been out of Aldmoor to see the port before. Ma and Pa are so overprotective and don’t let me go outside anywhere else”

“ Heh,I wouldn’t relate…” Elenaril mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing—just follow me.”

Elenaril went through one of several backdoors that led away from the shop counters into another hallway dimly lit by chromastones at their lowest setting.

The walls were made of a nondescript worked stone that looked like it’d been picked haphazardly; nonetheless a good architect would have said the wall masonry was artfully done. They exited the hallway into the back where they were assaulted by the sounds of a busy aersmithy.

Workers sawed large planks of wood while others hoisted cut beams using pulleys into a half complete skeleton of an aership. Again some were hammering away at joists made of dwarf steel that would brace the joinery work in place.

Elenaril tuned out the sounds of the smithy and looked around for the overseer—she found her standing off to the side near a large open-air section of the workshop. There was a wooden platform that had struts overlooking the open roof.

The installation was large enough to berth two aerships of significant size for maintenance and overhauls. There, the overseer was conversing with a short and stocky man who had a bald head and a braided waist-long beard. His skin was so brown it was almost earthy.Like his conversation partner, the man had a pair of safety goggles strapped to his forehead and a dark brown pair of leather overalls.

As Elenaril approached, they noticed her presence and turned about.

“Noon greetings, aersmith Yondouk, overseer Rosedust,” she said, leaning her head at the dwarf and at the woman in greeting.

“Noon greetings to you young miss Elenaril. I wasn’t expecting you to come today. And who is your friend? You do know we don’t allow unauthorised personnel in this section of the building.”

“My name is Hanna...Hanna Lalilab.” Hanna responded, doing a hastily done curtsy.

“Ho! Lalilab's young’un—Quite the lass ain’tcha?” replied the overseer’s companion in a booming voice. “At ease lassie, were not lords and ladies that we would have you bein’ all so stiff and prim. And go easy on the young’uns Rosie.”

“It’s my duty as overseer to make sure things run smoothly Yondouk.” The gray haired overseer said to the dwarf.

“Ha! Give me a break you old goose. Alright let’s hear ye lassie.”

“Uhm, I just got two weeks open and I’d like to request for overtime.” Elenaril stated as she turned her attention to the woman.

“I’ll give you an answer when I see you on your next shift. It’s tomorrow isn’t it?” overseer Rosedust said as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.

The sound of approaching wingbeats and eagle-like screeches drew the group's focus towards the open area of the aersmithy.

“Incoming aership! Watch out below!” came a bellow from above the smithy. Slowly, the keel of an aership appeared directly overhead as a flight of six griffin tugged the aership using using harnesses

The vessel was let down towards the berthing struts where several maintenance scaffolds were located. The struts groaned as the aership rocked slightly before it settled.

Elenaril and Hanna looked at the docked aership sitting a safe distance away from their group. The ship had been stripped of its masts, sails and rudders. The wood on the hull was old and peppered with scars, much so that some of the dwarfsteel bracing had been warped .

A grotesque figurehead of a gargoyle mounted on the vessel’s forepeak had parts gouged off. Unlike the waist and stern, the portside looked like it had seen torture from a broadside salvo, part of its gunwale had been blasted to splinters.

One of the griffin riders flew down his mount to the aersmithy. The man wearing the colors of a port marshal dismounted and approached the group with a roll of parchment in a tube which he presented to overseer Rosedust. Without further ado, he left the same way he’d come joining up with his wing mates.

“Well?” the dwarf prompted the woman who was scrutinising the document. He groomed his beard as he squinted at the aership. “Oi!—Get me a gangplank o’ here!”

“Report from Chasm's Edge. The [Port Master] requested the Mocking Sprite be stripped down as salvage. It’s a reclaimed merchant ship hijacked by pirates and found adrift over the Humpbeast Ridges”

“What happened to the pirates?” Hanna quivered.

“Hoh? You don’t seem to have the stomach for spilt blood, young miss Lalilab.” said Rosedust with an arched brow. “Anyway, I’ll humour you. The report doesn’t say much—it does mention a mutiny on the ship. Whatever remained of the pirates who commandeered the vessel were picked clean by a weyr of wyverns. They fought back, but ultimately they were outnumbered and lost. Don’t worry though, nothing of them remains, they made sure to clean it up. Except for the blood evidently— We’re fixers, not morticians. Hearing that, you still want to go aboard?”

Hanna gulped and looked at Elenaril. Elenaril shrugged saying that it was all the same whether she went on or not. Thus, the group of four plus a couple aersmith workers went aboard the ship. The Mocking Sprite had been a schooner almost 30 metrums in length. It was relatively small and had been moved using two pairs of conical port and starboard mainsails.

“Watch ya steps lassies, the wood here’s in dire shape,” said the dwarf as he guided the women across the deck. Where the group passed, the floor creaked and squeaked ominously.

The bleached decksole was a patchwork of planks and seemed to have been scoured clean of blood but the metallic tang still remained. More claw marks and gouges that peered into the dark underbelly of the ship told the story of carnage, while longer gouges showed where a boarding harpoon had been fired onto the aership during salvage. Broken wooden railings and part of the gunwale tittered precariously over the edge of the ship.

“ Check the three steam cannons and the boiler,” the overseer called out as the aercrafters and apprentices disappeared into the bowels of the small ship. “ Hmm, doesn’t seem like it had any chromastones and glass either,” the woman tutted as she looked at where sconces might once have been. Meanwhile, the dwarven aership was looking at a jerry rigged ballista with an armed harpoon that had seen one too many uses.

While the workers run inspection, Hanna gawked at every little feature of the derelict aership. Contrary to Elenaril’s expectations, she was not even horrified at the aftermath of bloodied fighting around her. Rather, she had the enraptured expression of a child who’d received their favourite gift on their name-day as her glowing eyes darted every which way.

“Elenaril!” Hanna perked up from her trance. She grasped her friend’s hands, startling her in the process.

“Rot!” Elenaril swore.

“ One day I want have my own aership!” Hanna chirped, gleefully oblivious.