The city guards don’t even give us a second glance as we stroll into Harrowood. There isn’t anyone else coming from our direction, but the guards are preoccupied by greater concerns in the form of dice and coins. I stare in awe as the stone city rises around us.

The streets are loud and bustling—not with the mirth of a festival, like Peakshadow, but the clamor of everyday life. Merchants beckon from their storefronts, while shoppers check over baskets of fruit, scholars hurry about with arms laden with scrolls, and laughter echoes from open tavern doors. I’m beginning to think my original instinct that the town was some organic formation might be more on the nose than I first thought; the buildings are all stone, seemingly growing out of one another. I don’t know if this was some rocky bluff that was weathered into a city, or if magic grew it from the ground. Either way, being back in the hubbub of civilization is a strange clash of familiar and alien all at once.

Zyneth walks with purpose through the streets. I want to ask him where we’re going, but limited diction aside, he seems to have some plan in mind. We pass one business full of small caged animals—those wyverns I’d seen back in Peakshadow. The winged lizards crawl around the inside of their cages, blinking with slitted cat eyes as their owner opens a hatch to feed one of them an egg. It swallows it whole in two hurried gulps, then turns to look back at me even as we move out of view. I shudder for the egg and try not to think about how I’m a comparable size and shape.

“The Merchant’s Guild should be somewhere close,” Zyneth says, glancing at each storefront we pass. “They like to snatch up the newcomers right as they come into the city. Probably near the city’s telepad, to expedite trade. Now if this damned crowd would just let us through…”

But from my perch, I can tell it’s more than just a crowd. People have stopped up ahead, and something seems to be taking up a good portion of the street. Tense, raised voices drift back, and I shudder at the memories those sounds bring.

Displaying suspicious agility, Zyneth weaves his way to the front. A large cart takes up most of the street—or, what remains of it. The wheels are broken, its contents spilled onto the ground and scattered around the area. An angry elf is speaking with the town guards who are ineffectively trying to placate him.

“…the Guild’s responsibility to secure the rest of my assets immediately! First bandits, now pickpockets! Without proper protection, everything’s just free for the taking. The delay is unacceptable. I expect full reimbursement…”

The guards are grimacing like they just found a bonefang in their chamber pot. Sheesh, that guy does not seem happy. Wouldn’t want to be in those guards’ shoes. Curious, I get Echo to Check the contents of the cart—well, street—as we squeeze past.

[30 boxes of sage. 20 jars of rosewater. 25 incense bowls. 17 candles. 5 miniature altars…]

She continues to rattle off a seemingly random list of vaguely magic-sounding things. Well, at least I know I’m in the right place. If this is the kind of stuff they’re buying and selling in Harrowood, then there’s got to be wizards who use these supplies around here somewhere.

We leave the irate elf behind as Zyneth pushes deeper into the city, though it’s only a few minutes more before he slows once again.

“Here we are.” Zyneth pushes aside a drape to step into a brightly lit hall. There are a few small groups of people loitering about, sitting at tables and chatting, and a few more guards talking with a woman behind a counter at the back of the room. Zyneth heads for the latter, then waits as the guards speak a few more quiet words before departing.

The woman at the counter has white cat ears and a fluffy tail which flicks from side to side in irritation. Her expression is soured, ears flat, but as Zyneth steps forward she perks up and plasters on a bright smile, revealing her thin pointed teeth.

“Harrowood Merchants Guild,” she says. My stomach flips unpleasantly as I try not to focus on her cat-like characteristics, and the only other felis I’ve met that it reminds me of. “How may I help you?”

Zyneth tips his head back toward the guards. “Was that to do with the disruption in town?”

The woman manages to force her smile wider. “I assure you it is being dealt with. The Merchant’s Guild still remains the safest way to protect your wares!”

“From ambush?” he asks. “The merchant mentioned bandits…”

Her ear twitches, false smile unwavering. “Please! Not bandits. There have been a few small cases of, ah, petty theft in recent days. However, it remains our policy that all Guild merchandise is fully insured. Are you buying or selling?”

I doubt Zyneth is going to get anything else out of her on the topic that isn’t corporate sound bites, and Zyneth must be figuring the same.

“Neither,” he says. “I’m looking for a map of registered businesses.”

The felis sags in what might be relief that Zyneth didn’t push the topic, though you wouldn’t know that from her plastic smile. “Of course!” She produces a paper from behind the counter. “Five copper pieces.”

Zyneth pulls out a pouch, fishes out the appropriate money, and swaps it for the map.

“Pleasure doing business,” the felis says. “Please enjoy all the indulgences and excitement Harrowood has to offer.”

Yeah, like robbery.

Zyneth matches the woman’s smile. “Thank you kindly.” Then he turns away, the smile vanishing just as abruptly.

“They charge you just for the privilege to shop at their businesses,” he mutters to me. “No wonder someone’s decided their coin pouches could stand to be lightened. I’m in the wrong business, clearly.”

And what business is that, I wonder?

He steps back out into the street, unfurling the map. “This should get us started. It won’t have everything, but all the wealthiest shops are likely to have registered with the guild, which is mostly likely to be what you’re looking for, given the rarity of homunculus specialized wizards. Now, where first…”

Unlike the maps in Attiru’s shop, this one is not moving or beautifully detailed—which makes me think the ones I accidentally nabbed from the Atlas Emporium might be worth a pretty penny. Sorry, Attiru. But this map seems to work the same way, and as Zyneth taps a couple names listed on the side of the paper, corresponding spots on the city illuminate. They’re worryingly dispersed.

“First we’ll find somewhere to get room and board,” Zyneth says. Or I guess in my case, just room. “Something central to work as a base of operations. Hopefully that’ll make it easier for you to get around. There appears to be a variety of arcana services, though I don’t see anything that jumps out to me as dealing with homunculi. And there are a couple different arcana supply shops we can check out as well. Do you see the name of the wizard you are looking for?”

Assuming they are a wizard. I take the map with my glass so I can bring it closer to read the fine print. (Apparently, a floating map is nothing of particular note in this crowd.) I scan the list of businesses, most of which mean nothing to me. The ones Zyneth picked out shine in blue ink instead of the standard black: Salt and Supplies; The Crooked Broom; Essential Snake Oils; Ana’s Apothecary; Moondust Materials. Are these arcana stores or pubs? I’m not sure these are exactly what I’m looking for, really, but it can’t hurt to try.

There are a few spell-focused businesses he’s highlighted as well: Heather’s Healers, Pots and Potions, Tem and Tock’s Enchantment Renewals. These seem to be places you’d go to commission a service rather than buy supplies. None of them mention homunculi, but I’ll have to hope at least one of them will know how to help me.

And then I see it—Cloud’s Arcane Artifacts.

That’s it! The artifacts portion makes me a little worried their store is more supply focused than spells, but maybe they’d at least have the chalk I’m looking for. And surely they’d have a list of people who’ve bought such things?

I have six days to know for sure.

I tap Cloud’s Arcane Artifacts, adding it to the list of highlighted buildings.

“Alright,” Zyneth considers, reading the map. “It’s getting late, so I imagine most have closed for the evening. But we’ll want you to be as close to as many of these stores as you can come morning.” He gestures to the middle of the glowing dots on the map. “Somewhere around here would be best. Let’s look for an inn in that area, shall we?”

Zyneth is a fucking saint, I swear.

“YES.” Let’s go.

Zyneth takes us on a winding path through the city, where we pass more fascinating oddities that give me a sneak-peak into the world. I passively Check interesting looking individuals as we pass, and they seem to be a mix of all the classes I’ve previously encountered—although skewing more toward bruisers, brawlers, warriors, and guardians. Those classes focused less on mana, I think. Their levels all seem pretty solidly around 25 as well: Maybe that’s where average people tend to cap out, if they aren’t actively trying to raise their levels.

I mean. Are people here even aware of their levels, or is that just something Echo knows?

Regardless, it does make Zyneth somewhat of an anomaly. Not that 31 is significantly higher than the average, but it does have me wondering what in his past or profession is causing the difference.

As the streets are cast in the buildings’ shadows, and the sun rapidly disappears beneath the horizon, lights begin to flicker on. Paper lanterns, similar to the festival in Peakshadow, but also warm fire lights inside buildings, and candles that glow green and blue in window sills, and an occasional wire cage containing a flickering creature made of purple flames that Echo identifies as a will-o’-the-wisp.

As some storefronts shutter their doors, businesses of the night open theirs. Some for drinks, some for companionship, some for bed—and it’s the latter of these that Zyneth finally happens upon, close to the center of our map.

“This should do,” he says, stopping before an inn with a picture of a copper jackalope on its sign, labeled “The Red Rabbit.”

Warmth and cheery light beckon us inside.

Zyneth purchases a week’s stay, emphasizing privacy and a first-floor room as he hands over several gold-looking coins. If I understood the currency of this world I might be alarmed. Maybe it just looks more expensive than it is. He wouldn’t be paying a small fortune on my account, would he?

The innkeeper shows us to a room, hands us the key, and then departs. Inside, Zyneth locks the door behind us, setting me down on a small writing desk. Apart from that, a single lantern, a bed, a chest, and a chamber pot, there isn’t anything to speak of. Geez. I hope this isn’t what’s considered luxury in this world.

“Here we are.” Zyneth lays the map out on the desk, flattening it and pinning one edge with the lantern and the other edge with a heavy sack that clinks suspiciously like coins. “You know how to work this thing?”

I lay my cheat sheet out on the table, too. “YES.”

“Good. Just a moment.” He goes to the window, opening it and looking around the surrounding alley. Then, to my surprise, he jumps out. I hear a clattering of noise outside, but from my vantage point, I can’t see what he’s doing. A minute later he nimbly springs back in. Is it just me, or does he seem a little too used to jumping in and out of windows?

“Hold tight,” Zyneth says, and I dig my glass into the wood as he grabs the desk and drags it over next to the windowsill, shaking me like a can of soda as the wooden legs skip over the ground. He pulls the window closed again, but leaves a gap a few inches wide. Me-inches wide. I take a look outside.

“I stacked some clutter up beneath the window,” Zyneth says as I observe just that. Crates and broken bottles and loose cobblestones create a makeshift staircase up to my window. “I’m hoping that will be enough for you to climb up and down on your own.”

“YES. THANK YOU!” It’s definitely better than nothing. I’m kind of touched. But if he’s building all these helpful tools for me, then that means…

Zyneth sets the room key down on the table. “Unfortunately, I cannot stay the night. I am already delayed in my efforts. I purchased the room for a week. In an ideal world, I will have returned by then. If not…” He smiles sadly. “I hope our paths should cross again.”

Me too. But all I can repeat is, “THANK YOU.”

“Not at all, my small wizard friend. Is there anything else I can help you with before I depart?”

Walk me to each of the arcana shops. Help ask around for a wizard. Stick around in case the predator escapes. Subdue me if you can.

But I can’t ask for any of that, and even if I could, I don’t feel like I deserve to. He’s already done so much, and he has his own people to worry about. “NO.”

He nods. “Then I hope what I have offered is enough. I wish you luck.”

I wave.

He smiles at the gesture. Then, without any fanfare, he leaves, just like that.

And I’m alone.

My glass sags. No problem. I was on my own before he showed up to help, and I’m in a better place now than I’ve ever been since arriving on this world. All I have to do is follow a map, visit a few shops, and talk to a wizard who’s familiar with my and Noli’s spell. And if I can’t find a wizard, then I might be able to make do with my spell book and some null arcanum chalk. I’ve got plans and backup plans. What am I worried about?

The Void, for starters. And getting back to Noli in time.

Okay, what am I worried about besides the imminent threat of death?

No sense sitting around to spend the night moping. I head over to the map, mentally orienting myself within the city. The closest location to our—my—inn is Salt and Supplies. It’s a supply shop, rather than a wizard shop, but since I don’t really have the time to be running back and forth across the city, taking the most efficient route along the list of businesses makes the most sense.

I layer the map over my cheat sheet, then snatch up both pieces of paper. Hopefully no one will notice a couple of crumpled papers blowing around the street, because I’ll need both to get what I want, and I can’t risk adding them to my inventory and donating another 2% to the void.

Hopping up to the window, I pause once, glancing at the room door as if it would miraculously unlock and swing back open. And for whatever reason, Noli springs to mind. Is this what she felt, waiting for me to come back? The thought makes me feel like my insides have been replaced with lead. No, I’m doing this for her. She must understand. I step out the window, pulling the papers behind me, and climb down into the streets of Harrowood.

It’s time to find what I came here for.