"Trade cities work two ways: they either have a lot of goods for sale at reasonable prices or they have next to nothing at exorbitant prices since it is all being exported."
-Warlord

Their pace had slowed somewhat now that the largest wagon was showing signs of damage and somehow this had escaped them till just a couple of hours ago. Nothing could be done about it either out on the road as repairs would require a blacksmith and that meant keeping the wagon in one piece till they could reach Mjesani.

Not one telltale sign was visible of the soldiers who had abandoned them either, they had long since disappeared but on the bright side bandits were non-existent as well. Any that were out here had probably gained their fill for the time being from the last raid and would have no interest in their little caravan even if they were spotted giving them a reprieve from their recent troubles.

At least that was what Jelani reasoned and it was sound too, there had been a very large swarm of them at the campsite of the large gathering of caravans and that meant it was probably a concerted effort.

Verik listened to the sound of the wagon's creaking as the wheels rotated and ground against the hard baked earthen road, there was little else to do until they reached their destination. The thought of getting a day or two to actually explore a place was a pleasant thought but also brought about a great deal of worry: would Mjesani be as bad as Alzamard?

Stopping for water at a well Zuberi remarked they would reach the city before nightfall and if they were lucky get inside and find a place to park the wagons till repairs could be done. If not they would have to camp outside the walls and while not entirely wise it was not a real danger either.

Asking what he meant by that Zuberi's only remark was to say that while the city was corrupt to the point of failure it was not nearly as bad compared to Alzamard, at least here there was some decorum of civility and the guards did not fleece everyone all of the time.

Sefu was quick to fill in the gaps thankfully: the only reason there was less corruption here was if they stole too much Fareed would be angered because then HE could not steal it. Fareed hated competition but then again all governments and tax collectors hated competition.

Small farms and little clusters of round huts were the first things to come into view as they neared the still distant city. Each little cluster of huts was nearly touching and all faced inwards with any gaps between them walled off with stick fences. Round and built of red mud brick with bundles of grass or straw for roves they were not the greatest sight in the world.

As they passed he looked them over closer and noted none of them had doors, in fact most just tossed something over the frame to obscure the interior but Verik doubted they had anything worth stealing anyway.

Row after row of crop was passed, Asha pointed out what was being grown now and then, most of it were root crops such as yams. Corn and to a smaller extent barley were also grown here but he was informed the distant barley fields were for alcohol production by and large.

Everything came at a price though: since the locals had to bring water from a nearby creek it meant growing crops that used less water as irrigation did not exist here. In return whatever they grew had to fit into this equation somehow and so the myriad of crops they grew were heavily varied and most of the water intensive crops were grown closer to the water source.

Looking for signs of the locals he found some still out and about but they were far and few in between and as the sun dipped lower on the horizon Mjesani came clearly into view. As their destination came into view the work day was over and the farmers could be seen trickling out of their distant fields towards their ratty little huts.

Staring at the walls of the city as they got closer he was pleased to note that there were no mass slums outside the walls, there were little dense clusters of huts here and there but no sprawling shack cities anywhere in sight nor great heaps of refuse and wagons carrying dead bodies nor signs of mass graves.

Reaching the gate he looked around after the guards stopped them and stared up at the high walls. Mjesani had tall walls but not as robust looking as Alzamards, they looked to be made of mud bricks that had been plastered over giving it a sun baked khaki color. It was the depth of the gatehouse however that indicated just how dense this wall was to make up for its shortcomings as he continued to examine it.

This city looked more like what one would expect of an ancient Arabian city, it had towers now and then with large cloth tarps to shield the sentries from the sun and the crenelations had a different design in that they were rounded off at the tops rather than flat giving them a kind of design flare.

No bribery was required to enter either, they were simply allowed to pass in after a few questions but that only put him on edge. Over the past few days nothing ever came easy and to just be allowed to walk in was unthinkable but after looking over at Jelani and raising an eyebrow she waved him off, this was "normal."

Through the gatehouse and into the city proper it was clear this place was much better kept, plenty of buildings looked damaged and a few were falling in on themselves but most were not that bad. Homeless were crammed into the alleys but refuse was not thrown into the streets, some modicum of sanitation was being kept here.

Jelani began talking to him filling in the gaps as they walked explaining things and she had guessed right that he was quite curious about the place: Mjesani was a city that sat on a T intersection for caravans. One road ran West to East then another North to Alzamard and that meant caravans often stayed inside the safety of the walls before departing.

This meant that goods flowed heavily in and out of the city but since almost everything was being shipped out prices could be very high unless the locals were making it for everyday use. While harassment did occur most of it was different from how Fareed handled things: the noble family of the city preferred to tax people to death, Fareed would get his dues and a chance to rob the merchants blind but this way they also got to dip their hands deeply into the pot.

As a side note she pointed out another factor that made any merchants stomach churn in anger and disgust about it: There were no other roads. This city sat on the only viable road in the entire western region, to go off-road with heavy cargo was to risk loosing the wagons over the rough terrain and still run the risk of banditry. Taking this one road was still the best bet they had.

Why not just go East and detour around them? She did not really know but guessed that it was either too far a detour or the regions to the East had their own issues and she was fairly certain they did considering the Wete sat along the dividing river of East and West.

Reaching the city center where the various groups of caravans gathered was a simple affair, they had to pass through one last gate to enter and it was here that the shakedown took place: in order to keep the wagons here overnight they had to pay a "fee" for the space.

While it may sound reasonable enough he kept listening as the well dressed stallion continued to drone on and on about other fines and fees required that were peanuts until you added them up. They even had a tax included for the "honor of Sultan Fareed" as it was his city and being permitted to stay here was supposed to be an honor and privilege.

Verik did not know which was more sick: that Fareed at least just robbed people at gunpoint and did not bullshit anyone about it or that the nobles here tried to be slick willies about it playing the role of politician perfectly to a T.

There was plenty of space to pick from as well once the tax collector had his dues, bandits were taking a toll on things but still the caravans kept rolling in despite the dangers. Passing through the second gate they entered the central "bazaar" of the city which was a semi-circle with the market being on their left and wagon parking to the right.

It was very well organized but many spaces were empty, an eerie hint as to had happened such a short time ago on the road from Alzamard, many tried to make it but not all succeeded.

On the bright side Mjesani really was better kept and managed though, it actually looked like a city not a bombed out crater. Roads were paved in cobblestone that needed replaced but at least it was there. Any buildings he had seen so far were mostly stores and such along the main drag leading to this area but unlike Alzamard they were better kept, they had signs of cracking and wear but they were not caving in on a large scale.

Then again he had only seen this small snippet of the city and not the whole thing but as Zuberi had them move the wagons into a small space he judged safe and adequate Verik could not help but feel a little giddy: tomorrow there would be a city to explore and one less dangerous than Alzamard to boot.

Sleeping in the city that night had been awkward as the ground was a cobblestone layer and not soft grass, falling asleep had taken some time and the heated stones only made things worse so Verik had spent the night leaning against the wagon staring up at the night sky and the strange constellations until the stone cooled enough to lay down upon without baking his skin off.

Come morning he was tired from lack of sleep but eager to get things started as Zuberi quickly gathered everyone together before the crack of dawn.

"Sefu will be in charge while I am looking for a smith to repair the wagon, you can wander if you want but dont go too far, Mjesani is much safer than Alzamard but not that much safer so be careful. You will be divided up so not everyone is gone at the same time, Zuri?"

Zuberi walked off with another in tow on his quest to find a smith who would help them with repairing the wagon while not demanding a firstborn in payment. Zuri was now checking to see who wanted to wander around the city but there were few takers, most wanted to just rest or sleep now that they were "safe" again.

Not Verik though, he wanted to go exploring, if this city was safer then by all means it was time to actually see something of this world and not have to worry about getting caught up with corrupt guards or slavers.

Asha had no interest, she was still skittish after what happened in Alzamard so that narrowed things down and Zuri did not want "trouble incarnate" out walking around on his own.

Jelani volunteered to go with him and after a brief discussion and the two were allowed to wander off together so long as she kept him for causing another uproar or starting any fights. Before leaving she grabbed her spear then walked up and stared, waiting.

"True..." He looked at the walls that divided Mjesani up a moment. "Do you know what each section has?"

"Not really, only been bazaar and to tavern, that way." She pointed off to the left but he was planning on walking in a counter clockwise direction so that would come later.

A tavern though? Made sense but odds were good there were a lot more than just one in the city even if it was smaller than Alzamard which also reminded him of something: the thieves. He knew what little symbol to look for now and was curious to see if it could be found in Mjesani.

Turning West onto the road and away from the bazaar another gatehouse blocked their way but no "tax" was collected on them, beyond it was a well defended gatehouse to their North with few being allowed to come or go, approaching them and asking they were curtly told to bugger off unless they could pay ten silver pieces for access.

Stealing a glance through the open gate as they passed the both of them caught a quick glimpse of very well maintained houses and streets, the only ones moving around were incredibly well dressed and had servants hustling after them.

Jelani tugged on his arm and moved towards another section that was not walled off.

White washed walls with cracks running through them marked the "well to do" area, though they were seen as being a kind of "middle class" there was a great deal of room for improvement. Poverty existed here but not the kind that led to starvation or disease, things were maintained and the adobe walls somewhat well maintained.

Everything was packed in though, narrow streets and narrower alleys, each building was built either directly into the other or so close they might as well have been. Actual wooden doors adorned the buildings along with smaller ones for windows but most had sticks built into them to keep anyone from just climbing in.

Ropes were strung between buildings and windows above them and hung with raggedy clothing that was hung out to dry, some areas had miniature "plazas" that had rough cloth suspended between the close in buildings to provide shade to the few old mares and stallions sitting around staring off into space or talking.

Locals were dressed in varied ways, as per the norm he had learned the Zebras just went as is in most cases while the colorful ones that Jelani called "Arabians" tended to wear more and he had to marvel at their clothing too.

Those that wore much beyond just a skirt or wrap to obscure things wore a rather colorful selection of clothing be it red, yellow, blue, green or a mixture. A couple of the wealthier ones wore clothing with intricate designs and weave that included swirls or block-like patterns.

Craft shops could also be found now and then along the "main road" but their prices were rather high and they sold little of variety, everything was aimed more for every day use, kind of like little mini-marts with inflated prices.

Farther down he saw a very well guarded gatehouse and after stopping a local to ask they remarked that the slums were beyond it and to be wary of thugs and cut-purses. Jelani was not very enthused about going beyond the gate but he insisted, he wanted to see everything the city had to offer.

Looking back before reaching the gate he noted everything here was plain, utterly plain, in Alzamard the buildings showed signs of having been decorated once but these were just bland to look at, even the windows were simple and bland lacking any kind of artistic design.

This area had been designed and built out of pure utilitarianism, everything was at least two stories tall some three but never less than two, the same window on every building, the same doorway, the same everything.

"Well that was a let down, narrow cobblestone streets, abode buildings, a few stone ones but nothing worth seeing."

"Mjesani is for passing caravans, not much happen here but in other sections things more interesting."

"Yes, beyond are where crafters and smiths are, many taverns and places to eat there, also places to sleep."

"Having a blacksmith next door to someone trying to sleep seems counter productive."

"Yes but they make wall between smiths and other places, also required to stop at sundown so not disturb others."

"Yes I am certain, I want to see the whole city not just the best parts, I want to see the truth."

Jelani stared at the gatehouse as they walked up to the guards who eyed them before waving them past and into the slums.

Calling this place a slum was a little strong, it was not a total lost cause nor a burned out train wreck but the poverty was clear to anyone that bothered to look. Stack and pack buildings shot up two or three stories and equines pushed and shoved in the streets hustling to go somewhere or nowhere.

Putting a hand on his pouch Verik kept a strong hold of it while also keeping a hand on his throwing stick, Jelani was doing the same but the locals feared her more than the cloaked figure beside her, after all she had the spear.

Pushing their way down the incredibly narrow street they wound up in a small side alley to wait out the high traffic.

Verik watched the crowds hustle away, Zuberi had woken everyone up very early that morning so he could take off and find a smith before work orders started to pour in and with any luck they would leave tomorrow morning.

Naturally this meant they were all awake before just about everyone else in the city save a few, breakfast was a handful of dried fruit, water and nothing else since cooking inside the city was impossible for them.

Setting fires on the city road was not very wise but also he doubted they would appreciate that very much.

A small group of young stallions and mares ambled down the street towards them talking amongst themselves as the locals moved out of the way or were pushed aside, Verik watched them a moment before looking around quickly, there were still to many in the street and he had an idea of where this was going.

Spying the two off in the side alley the cluster hurried forward pushing the crowd out of their way, Jelani had tried to push out into the crowd to escape while dragging Verik but there were too many in the narrow street and the oncoming rush compacted the mob in.

Jelani leveled her spear at the speaker as he looked them over carefully, they looked like glorified thugs and were even armed much the same with their crude clubs or anything else they could get their hands on.

"Its a narrow alley, two of us can hold you lot off easily enough." Verik looked them over again before glancing at Jelani. "I figure none of you are eager to see who gets stuck with her spear either and I promise at least one of you will be."

"True." Verik pulled out his knife and throwing stick. "So who wants to die first? Guards will probably take an inte-"

Jelani and Verik eyed the mare who had spoken a moment before Jelani smiled at them.

Jelani stepped forward and made a false stab at one and they backed off quickly.

"Thought you want to fight us? You not rob us now?" Jelani glared at them and made a few more threatening pokes as the group considered their options.

Verik had a feeling both parties were treading on very thin ice, they could certainly take this gaggle of thugs down in the narrow alley but they did not seem to eager to back off, they wanted to puff up and look important, backing down would tarnish their reputation and that of their leader.

To a bunch of thugs acting like puffed up monkeys waving sticks around ego was more important than logic or practicality.

It was perfect though as neither he nor Jelani showed any signs of backing down, killing them would do the world a favor and if not today they would probably attack someone else tomorrow. Better to kill them all now and be done with it than pander to some thugs ego and sense of self worth, pandering to mentally challenged criminals like this only bred more of them.

The band of thugs calmed down a moment and more weapons came out, it was laughable in a way how they made mocking swings to puff themselves up, it was like watching monkeys hop around with sticks in their hands.

"Maybe you get one of us, we still get you. Best you give your coin and leave before we beat you to death."

Verik had no idea what Jelani said after those first two words and he was presented with a new problem: whatever magical hold on this world could not find meaning fast enough to whatever she was saying and thus her words were lost on him, slipping away like smoke on the wind. However, the reaction in the thugs was instantaneous: they let out angry horse-like snarls and charged.

She was supposed to keep Verik out of trouble, she had agreed to even keep him out of fights and not allow him to do anything stupid but she was not going to hand over her coin pouch to these bastards.

Jelani did not hesitate when they moved to attack and immediately rammed the spear into the stomach of the closest one then yanked it free before turning against another. Stabbing furiously into the mass the gang of thugs surged into the narrow alley swinging their clubs at the two of them wildly while screaming their own threats.

Verik continued to back away with her, after the second had been stabbed they were not too eager to just throw themselves towards them and were now trying to fan out in a place that did not allow them too.

A quick glance to her right she saw him duck a heavy swing from a club aimed for his head, Verik stabbed into their stomach furiously with his little knife before backing away while the thug collapsed screaming.

Seconds ticked by as both groups eyed each other down then their eyes all shifted to one in particular: Verik.

She knew what they were thinking: he did not have a spear, sword, axe or anything beyond that little knife of his and a club in his other hand putting him almost on part with them. If they could grab him they would have leverage against her but that meant keeping her back while they swarmed him as best they could in the narrow space.

With three of their own down they were showing no signs of backing off, the stakes were too high and most were still standing. Surging to one side as their leader yelled out they swarmed Verik. She tried to stab them away but was pressed back as a few began tossing objects at her they had been carrying.

Nothing hit her but it had worked, they were all over him as arms flailed back and forth in a flurry of fur and flesh with the occasional yelp. There was no helping it now, ignoring the others trying to keep her wedged to one side Jelani turned and charged into the mass of bodies and skewered the first before pulling her club free and began battering away at their knees.

They all swarmed in now as they pushed and shoved, flailed, swung, bit, spat, kicked and punched in a fury of poorly aimed motion. A couple blows landed now and then as she ducked as best she could or yanked another around to take the blow for her.

Somewhere on the ground beside her Verik was buried under a pile of bodies as they battled it out screaming and kicking. They were so hemmed into this narrow alley it was impossible to use their clubs anymore and Jelani had to drop her own in favor of a small knife she kept.

Drawing that little knife however was like opening the flood gates on a whole new ball game, before they had wanted to beat them to death but now if they had a knife it came out and the stabbing began only no one had any idea who was stabbing at whom.

Dropping to the ground quickly she began slashing at knees while pushing and pulling to knock others over, it was not the smartest move but it was the only move possible right now.

It paid off too, they sprung back quickly leaving her a gap to move in and also to yank one off Verik to use as a meat-shield against the others. Putting her blade to their throat she barked at them to back off and waited as they tried to figure out what to do.

Somewhere below a body slid off Verik as he stood back up spitting out fur and blood but not looking any worse for it.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time, doubt I will get rid of this taste for a while though, dont think they bathed once in their lives."

Jelani stared at them and hissed while digging her knife into her captives throat a little, one by one they began to back off and retreat down the alley to safety leaving their dead and wounded behind.

She looked him over before spinning the thug hard and slammed his head into the wall knocking them unconscious while bits of mud plaster shook free from the impact. Looking herself over quickly she realized they had managed to not only avoid being stabbed somehow but escape with just minor bruises.

"Never mind, not sure, guess they got so eager to get me they got in each others way, lucky me."

Jelani watched as he began to pick over the bodies quickly looking for anything valuable, he had no luck save one who had a couple of coins but for all their effort there was nothing to really show for it.

"Yup, lets find a well or something, I want to get this blood washed off and rinse my mouth out."

She shook her head and looked her own blood splattered body over before nodding.

Clearing the way was easy, not one soul wanted to get in their path as they walked along covered in blood splatter, a small well provided them the water they needed to wash off with but Verik had to strip and pound out his cloak to get the blood out while "borrowing" someones bucket to use as a wash basin.

Jelani scrubbed blood out of her fur quickly before it set leaving a tell tale mark as to what had happened thus letting Zuri know she had failed in her simple task of staying out of trouble.

Verik finished cleaning the blood from his cloak and put it back on, it clung to his figure heavily but the dampness would provide a great deal of relief from the heat. Staring over at Jelani he wondered what would happen if Zuri ever found out about the fight with the thugs.

She nodded and the two moved off towards the gatehouse that was allowing few out, none of the guards caused them any trouble though for whatever reason. Perhaps they just didn't care.

"Jelani, is it normal for the thugs to just charge in like that? Where I am from even if they have numbers so long as you are armed and willing to kill they back off."

Back on the main road that led East Verik looked up and down the long road at the large assortment of well kept establishments, this location was obviously for the more well to do merchants and locals.

A little bit of everything was here along the main road he noted: taverns, inns, restaurants, everything, all lined up neatly for any passerby to ogle but none of the locals stopped at these places, it was probably beyond anything they could afford.

Still, the colorful clothing for sale along with fancy pottery, wonderful smelling food and other delights made the mind wander to happier places.

Instead of looking them over Jelani led him away and bent down a smaller side streets to places more hidden away but that was what he wanted to see: the places the regular people went too not the fancy, overpriced ones.

All during their little jaunt he had looked over every building that sold goods or entertained others but never once had he seen the symbol he was looking for.

Jelani took the lead in the less crowded street, how long they had been walking he did not know but a quick glance towards the sky while avoiding looking into the sun hinted at their time spent as being a few hours.

For a city smaller than Alzamard it still took a long time to get around but the congestion and his desire to see everything is what was probably slowing them down so much.

Rounding a turn they emerged on a back street that was unpaved and lined with seedier looking little stores, taverns and other "establishments." One did not have to be a genius to understand what the mares and a few stallions were selling the way they propositioned others as they passed by, let alone how they dressed or showed themselves off.

Their destination however was somewhere else as Jelani led him on, he asked where they were going and she informed him he owed her a drink after getting them into trouble, again.

Their destination was a seedy little place but decently built, mud brick minus the plaster, no door, two stories tall and it had a dirt floor with mats thrown down along with the occasional rough table. Hopefully whatever they sold here was better than the decor but time would tell.

Stepping through the door frame Verik had to duck down a little and in so doing caught sight of a small symbol, the same one he had been looking for: this place was for thieves.

Jelani went straight to a mat and sat with her back to the wall and leaned her spear against it beside her. He joined her and continued to look around for a minute at the various patrons and the lone zebra stallion who worked his little "bar" which amounted to a few jugs and ladles for dipping.

A younger dirty yellow stallion walked over and nodded at Jelani and after a word was off again, he returned with two clay cups of something and laid them down, Verik looked at Jelani a moment then asked how much, a small argument broke out between Jelani and the server for a brief moment before he left with a few coins in hand.

"I dont drink alcohol, never have, cant stand the smell and I have to say this... Stuff, is really unique..."

Jelani leaned out for the cup and Verik pushed it over to her before continuing to look around. So somewhere in this building the thieves had someone listening in for them, a courier of sorts in case someone needed to contact them.

He could say the word aloud and see what happened but that would not only be foolish but downright stupid, he had no need nor interest in contacting them. Having even found their little hideout or one of them was more than enough for now but it still eluded him as to why he cared about that.

"Who they tell? Keep voice down and no worry, everyone have own problems, no need to make more."

Zebrican Warlord

by Arelak

Chapter 13: Mjesani