"Walking through a slave market selling sentient creatures is one of the more sobering moments in your life."
-Warlord
Jelani was a good listener. All she had done for the past two hours was listen quietly and by the time he had finished his story of what had happened in Alzamard she was shaking her head in disbelief.
"Not know how you survive that, very lucky."
"Well it is the truth but I can not figure out how I managed to get away either, your probably right: luck."
There had been one thing he left out though: asking the thieves about how to find them and contact them. He doubted Jelani would do anything one way or another with the information but none the less it was best to keep that bit of information to himself.
"Verik, why you stare at eyes so much?
"What?"
"You always stare into eyes, why?"
"Oh that... One: I was taught it is good manners to look someone in the eyes when you talk to them, also if I did not it would be rather... Distracting."
Jelani raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"If I were to look anywhere other than your eyes I would have a hard time concentrating on what I am saying."
Looking down at herself she stared back up at him then smirked.
"Cant wait to see you in Wete then."
Verik closed his eyes a moment and sighed as she began snickering at him before something else got her attention.
Jelani's eyes scanned the room for a minute before she motioned for them to get up, it was time to leave as more zebras and Arabians poured into the little tavern. Due to its small size the place was filling quickly and getting too crowded for comfort.
Pushing their way out was not all that hard compared to the slums but was still a struggle and once outside the tavern the narrow street was rather busy as he could only assume that workers were taking time off to get away from the blazing sun and stifling heat.
Pushing their way back out onto the main road they both stopped and looked around for a minute before Jelani just turned and stared at him. It did not take a genius to know what the question was: which way?
"Zuberi was going to find a blacksmith right? Where would that be?"
Jelani motioned with a hand before leading him off past a smaller wall and with a sharp turn they wandered down another narrow alley. This one was punctuated not by seedy little buildings but storehouses and the echoing sound of metal being forcibly beaten into submission.
So these are what medieval smithies look like...
As they continued down the street they made another turn and the sound became more pronounced, Verik stared into the various workshops and smithies that they passed. Some were busy turning out pottery others metal tools of every kind be it for farmers, laborers, wagons or a host of other purposes.
Most were rather small and operated by a handful of workers but as they kept going a divide became apparent: the nobles that ruled the city understood what "fire hazard" meant.
Almost every smith in the city worked for the sake of the caravans and farmers which was logical but they were kept to one area, a wider street then separated the areas that used fire from the workshops that did not. Few were engaged in carpentry but they still existed, some even wove textiles and the last handful of workshops were busy using reed and sticks to fashion baskets and other storage containers.
No one cared either whenever he stopped to stare at what they were doing, work continued on without slowing and as he watched them work their various crafts during their little walk it was interesting to see how much variety there was. Just about every pottery workshop had their own little way of making things that stood out from the rest so no one would ever confuse who made what.
None of it was for sale however, they only made it before passing the finished product to someone else who loaded it into a cart and pulled it off to market.
Having made "the loop" as Jelani called it of the various shops they had not seen Zuberi or anyone recognizable anywhere so they both assumed he either succeeded already or failed in finding someone willing to repair the wagon.
That left walking down the main street and back towards the bazaar which turned out to be the most interesting part of the trip.
It was here along the main strip that the weapon-smiths had their works on display of every make, size and shape. As they browsed while walking Verik could only guess what exorbitant price would be demanded for anything available here.
Spears were more common but each shop had a great number of bladed weapons including axes, scimitars and more. One even had a much longer scimitar that was more akin to a broadsword and would take two hands to wield and he guessed one would probably have to sell a firstborn to get the thing, but as he stared at it there was no doubt the blade would be effective if you actually hit someone with it.
Verik stopped dead though as he looked at the gatehouse to their front, the same one that had done a mock shakedown of the caravan yesterday. Turning around and looking back he became confused and puzzled about something.
"Jelani... Why are the walls all wrong?"
"What you mean?"
"I mean that there is a gatehouse in front of us that does nothing, it just attaches to the wealthy area but goes nowhere otherwise, no wall. This area has a wall behind it for noise control but it could never be used to defend anything, hell if someone got in from that front gate they could just WALK around the entire city without ever hitting a gate till the slums. You even led us down a passage that detours that damn thing. The only two places actually sealed behind walls is the rich area to our right and the slums, what maniac devised this?"
"Ah. Mjesani built on ancient ruins, long ago was fortress, the "slums" was original fort, torn down and rebuilt long ago."
"So someone decided to rebuild this place and just... Forgot the idea that someone might lay siege to the city?"
"Maybe."
"Whoever was in charge was either inept to the highest degree or simply moronic, half the city could fall in the blink of an eye and nothing could stop someone once they got through just one gate! I doubt the slums would resist if they were left alone and that just means the "nobles" would be penned up inside their own little zone and could be starved out."
Jelani was now looking around at how the walls were situated herself and nodded slowly.
"True... Good we no live here yes?"
"Very true. I guess that leaves the bazaar then? Oh. Where is the government building? Town hall or something like that, I assume there is one because no noble from any world I could ever imagine would go without an over reaching beurocracy."
"Think it in fancy place, pay to reach."
As they walked towards the gatehouse Verik looked at the wall that kept the nobles and wealthy safe from the locals and also afforded them the luxury of not having to ever see anyone but each other.
"So the locals have to pay the nobles to see the nobles and lay their grievances?"
"Guess so? Ah! Look!"
Verik turned his head quickly to where she was pointing, down one of the alleys was a familiar crew working and arguing over a wagon that had been unloaded. Zuberi was having it out with someone else as they tried to figure out how best to complete the repairs on the worn out wagon.
A younger zebra popped out of the building beside the wagon holding a piece of shaped metal with tongs and rushed over, the arguing stopped as they checked the fit before he hurried away again.
Zuberi caught sight of them as they watched and looked them over a moment before nodding and returning to the repairs.
"All okay then, wagon repair soon and we leave tomorrow."
"You can tell all of that from one nod?"
"Yes, you see wagon and how it off ground?"
"Yes..."
"Look closer at things, could see most repairs done, also I make motion at Zuberi, see if things okay."
"Ah... It pays to pay attention."
"Yes."
Jelani snickered at him as they reached the gate, the guards looked them over quickly then ignored them. There was nothing to tax on their person nor fees they could conceivably make demands for considering how they were "dressed."
Once more through the gate they entered the bazaar and could see their distant caravan minus one wagon. Everything that had been on it was now piled up in a somewhat organized fashion and guarded by those who had remained behind but he was not ready to return just yet.
Flowing into the crowd as they bustled about searching for the best prices on various goods the two wandered around for what must have been an hour. There was one major over arching truth about this market compared to Alzamard: everything was so overpriced it made them both gag as they listened to the prices.
Foodstuffs along with pots and baskets were reasonably priced according to Jelani but beyond that they wanted a small ransom for anything. Since Mjesani sat on THE trade route in this region nothing was long to stay here, it was all bound to some distant location where its value would drop once more due to over abundance but here where the abundance was lesser...
They could charge anything they wanted and they knew it.
Supply and demand was at work here and most goods were uncommon or rare while others were so common they dare not charge beyond a few coin for them less the goods rot away.
"So do the Wete produce anything?"
"Hm? Yes, we make pots, baskets and other..." Jelani stopped a moment, "things. You want buy pot do it in Wete, cheaper."
"Well I was thinking that since I am going with you lot it might be wise to bear a gift of some kind if my study of other cultures back on the other world is any great hint."
Jelani looked around a moment before looking back and nodding.
"Wise, yes, bring gift help, but right gift! Come."
They returned to the wagons and found Sefu sitting on a rolled up mat looking bored. Jelani filled him in quickly then all eyes were on Verik as they stared back and forth at each other.
Sefu slowly stood up and pulled a pouch out and counted some coins out and handed them to Verik.
"Your share for hides."
He spoke for a moment with Jelani before sitting down again and waved them off content to stare at the crowd of equines as they ambled around. Jelani beckoned and the two made their way back into the bazaar with her leading the way looking for something.
"So what did Sefu say?"
"What to get."
Cryptic...
Their first stop had been to find a tiny little clay pot and when asked she quickly informed him it was better to have something to store everything in rather than hold it in his hands all the way back to Wete while she continued to weave around the crowd searching.
She stopped dead after a few minutes of wandering and began arguing with the merchant and pointing at the various piles of what looked like spices of several varieties. In all honesty he had been expecting her to lead him to some kind of higher priced stall but not here of all places considering how abundant spices seemed to be.
"Deal, Verik, pay him."
Eyes darting to Jelani she motioned again and mouthed off the price as the merchant carefully measured out whatever the heck it was he had just bought. Pouring it into the little clay holding vessel after measuring it off the seal was placed back over the jar and once more Verik had a large hole in his pouch.
"So your chief likes spices?"
"Many plants not like soil there, have to buy spice elsewhere and bring in, here is cheaper, they grow much in fields around city."
"Alright... Well lets keep looking, who knows, maybe I will find a nick-knack for three copper coins."
"That all you have left?"
"Just about, everyone has been right about things being horribly over priced."
"This cheap..."
Well if this was considered "cheap" he did not want to know what expensive meant.
As they wandered around things began to pick back up again slowly as the sun continued to dip in the sky. Having made a crisscross pattern through the bazaar they began walking down the far side before leaving and walking the exterior on their way back.
There was not much they had not seen however and the only reason it had taken so long was because of how slow he walked along with his desire to see everything since no one was out to remove his head from his shoulders for once.
On the last and farthest strip of the market his pace slowed even more as they neared another kind of market. He had seen this in Alzamard but only in passing because of how fast things had happened but now they were free to stare and Verik was able to stand still and just soak in the sight before them.
Slavery was very common in cities or so he was told and Mjesani had its own thriving little market set farther back in the bazaar long the western edge of the wall that sealed the slums off. Guards were plentiful and kept a watch over the living cargo but as he stared nothing was being sold.
"Where do they get all these slaves from?"
Verik looked down the long, tightly packed rows that were chained or tied to each other around their necks and legs.
"Slavers raid villages across border, sometimes raid inside if Fareed paid. Others raid back for slaves."
"Rather scrawny looking."
Jelani narrowed an eye and stared at him.
"You buy?"
"No, just an observation, they dont seem well fed is all."
"Ah, why waste food on slave, just get another."
"Right. How many of these slaves are criminals assuming criminals are sold as slaves?"
She hummed and looked down the long rows before pointing.
"That one was thief, banded hand mark, murderer branded on face."
"I thought thieves were just outright hung."
"Some, scare everyone, but waste, better to sell and make profit."
"Do the Wete sell thieves or criminals?"
"No, last criminal killed, thieves marked and chased off. Wete not keep slaves."
"Other tribes do?"
"No... Few, very few, ones who aid Fareed keep slaves, rest not."
"So there is a larger pecking order going on."
Jelani nodded as they turned away from the slave market and departed on the final loop to return them to the caravan for the day.
What a sight that had been too: slaves were simply lined up and pushed in as tightly as possible to save space and left to die in the sun without food or water because they were cheap. Hygiene was a thing of the past here as well, most things were kept relatively clean in the city but the slave market was a mess as they were left to just sit there in their own excrement and urine since no one could be bothered; they would either die or be sold quickly enough.
As they rounded the bend and saw the gatehouse come into view his attention was drawn to the wagons that slowly made their way into the city while their limping handlers heaved them onwards.
Jelani and Verik walked over and watched as what had been the massive caravan they had been a part of back at Alzamard teetered into the city while being fleeced by the guards if they had any fleece left to give.
They had been badly beaten both in combat and outside, few guards were alive and any that were had been stripped naked of their equipment and whipped till they could hardly walk, a solemn reminder of what happened to anyone who resisted.
Blood splatters marked almost every wagon along with cut marks, the wealthy and well to do in the caravans were untouched, they had let their lackeys do the dying for them and mostly likely paid off the bandits.
There appeared to be some kind of rules to the madness too, Fareed apparently knew enough to reign his attack dogs in so they would not shut down the merchants by killing them off or taking too much too often but that just meant everything else was game.
Remembering how much cargo the wagons had borne to start with it was obvious to all the bandits had taken roughly half the cargo, enough to make a tidy profit for themselves without putting the merchants entirely out of business meaning one day they would probably return with more wagons heavily laden with goods to steal.
On an individual level however things went from bad to absolute worst in an instant: the rules did not apply to the underlings what so ever and that meant one was free to do whatever they wanted and that meant anything, there were no rules anymore, the gloves came off.
Most had been beaten to a bloody pulp then cut on out of pure sadism by their captors but the hobbling walk most endured with long bloody streaks running between their legs made it clear what price the bandits had demanded beyond just the goods taken.
It also made him wonder how many they had decided to just keep for their own personal entertainment while they relaxed fat, happy and somewhat content with their ill begotten goods. If any had been taken for such a purpose they would probably have it the worst compared to this sorry lot that limped past.
Oxen had been left, the bandits were not dumb, take the oxen and the wagons would never return with more goods to steal and looked to be the only sorry looking creature in the lot that had been untouched other than a few high and mighty merchants still dressed in their finery.
As the wagons pulled by slaves ground their way along he could see they had been by far the worst treated of any, their lives were entirely expendable in the eyes of all and could be replaced on a whim. Looking them over as they dragged their half dead carcasses into the city trying desperately to pull half loaded wagons while whips kept cracking it made Verik realize why the merchants had kept extra slaves around in their caravans: they were the replacements.
One dropped dead as the wagons began to make the bend causing things to slow as the body chained to the wagons went limp and was drug along slowly causing everything to slow down till it halted. The slaves were pushed to maximum for carrying capacity in their current state and the loss of just one had brought it to a halt.
The overseer hurried over and beat the body a few times before unchaining it and calling back for another to be brought up and replace the dead one. Guards came over and began arguing over cost of disposal as the dead slave was drug away and left in the street while another in no better condition was chained into place.
Holding a few coins between her fingers and shouting the overseer propositioned the crowd with the offer of payment for any who would remove the corpse from the city, a few fought over the right before hauling it off and accepted the payment as they passed her.
Life here was so cheap, so expendable that it was almost free to spend. Slaves were so plentiful why bother keeping them alive, for a nickle you could get another and beat them to death just for fun then go get another and another.
Movement resumed again and they watched the wagons roll past one at a time, interestingly enough and possibly the most spooky part about it all was that there were none who were too injured to walk.
"Jelani, hazard me a guess but why are there only walking wounded and no stretchers or wounded loaded into the wagons?"
"Waste of coin and time."
A small part of his soul died a little at hearing that. He had guessed as much but wanted to hear it from the lips of another who had probably seen this before rather than make a wild guess: anyone who could not walk under their own power was left behind to die.
"I assume from what little I know of the Wete and what happened after that first bandit attack when I met you the Wete do not share such sentiments."
"No."
It was a small relief but one that mattered the most as it meant that should anything happen on this scale the odds were considerably lower that he would be left behind to crawl off under a rock and die out of sight and mind.
No crowd gathered to stare either, a tiny few stood and stared but most just took one look and went on their way; this was just another Tuesday for Mjesani.
Making their way through the wagons and back to their little camp the others watched in silence with relief on their faces: it had been someone else and not them this time.
This time.
Running a gauntlet to try and survive in a world gone to hell in the wild hope you arrive safely, hawk your goods quickly, grab what you need and then run like hell is on your heels for home which it is all in the wild hope that you get back before the demons catch up with you.
And to think Zuberi, Sefu and Jelani did this once a year, every year.
It also made sense why Asha was so panicked all the time since from the few hints he had picked up from Jelani and Asha hissing at each other that she had something similar happen to her but she had managed to get away before being grabbed or he guessed as much.
As the wagons moved past them one of the walking dead stared at them a moment before hobbling towards them pointing with his mouth open. Verik had a bit of trouble telling the zebras apart but this one he vaguely remembered as their camp was set next to their own during the journey.
This zebra was apparently the lone survivor of the wagon that had tried to follow them and been caught then killed off.
He just stood there though trying to form words but failed, everyone watched him quietly before he finally lowered his hand and clenched a fist and staggered away. No words were needed to know what he was thinking or wanted to say but could not bring himself to say it for had the roles been reversed that night he would be sitting here staring back at one of them as they hobbled past.
The die had been cast and he had lost everything in one brief, bloody moment.
"So that gift for Tenadji?"
Verik turned towards Sefu who just stared and nodded at the pot he still carried.
"Yes... I take it this is normal?"
"When we reach Wete you keep that and wait until we talk with Tendaji, then you give. Very wise to bring gift but also wise to bring gift for Nuru."
"Who is Nuru?"
"Shaman for Wete, you still have coin?"
Verik opened his pouch and dug out what few were left and showed them as Sefu shook his head.
"Buy something Iuny, they sell nice things, cheap thing but nice."
"So I should have not bought anything here?"
"Let me see."
Sefu accepted the pot and looked inside before nodding and handing it back.
"Good choice, not buy at Iuny, too expensive."
"I have noticed costs seem to... Fluctuate a lot."
"Not merchant, ask Zuberi."
The conversation ended there as Jelani walked off to find a spot to sit leaving Verik to stand there and watch the caravans pass by again for a few minutes.
"You no do something stupid yes?"
"No..." Verik called back to Sefu. "No, just thinking how three grenades, one beltfed and a truck loaded with a couple hundred pounds of high explosives with a suicide jokey at the wheel could make your world a better place."
"What?"
There was no explaining what he meant to them but it was true and he hoped Sefu would understand that with just a few weapons in the right hands aimed at the right place at the right time the world could change.
None of it mattered though as none of that existed here and he was grateful for it, if such weapons were in Fareed's hand let alone his mercenaries they would own the world or make a damn good attempt at it.
Walking around to where Asha sat she looked up and smiled at him as if nothing were wrong. Everything was just as it should be in the world right now and it made his blood run cold a moment at just how eerie that was.
"You get gift for Tendaji?"
"Yes, some kind of spice Jelani said they grow here."
"If Sefu say it good gift it is, Tendaji must accept it and listen. Would be insulting and impolite to turn away when bearing good gift."
"So Sefu and Jelani are helping me to set up the chief?"
Asha laughed quietly and nodded.
"Yes, if gift is better than good make it very hard for him say no. You get gift for Nuru?"
"Not yet, Sefu said to wait until Iuny."
She nodded.
"Nuru easier to please, you get her good gift chief be in very bad place if he say no to you."
"So Nuru is the power behind the throne?" Verik watched her a moment as she smirked at his analogy.
"Yes, Nuru say others do. Tendaji little scared of her, all are scared."
"Why are you scared of your own shaman?"
"She spooky, when you meet you understand. Give gift Nuru first then Tendaji."
"Would that not insult the chief since he is in charge?"
"No, Nuru tell chief what to do all the time, he argue sometimes but loose, Tendaji good chief but Nuru keep him in line."
"Sounds like an interesting duo."
Verik closed his eyes and allowed the images to flow back over him as to what he had seen. It was a living nightmare but he had made it this far and was still alive which counted for something. With any luck Wete would be a nice, quiet little place far away from this crazy world.