They walked into the inn and headed for a counter where a seven-foot-tall insect person stood.

“We’d like two rooms for the season,” Qrixit said.

“The only open rooms next to each other are on the third floor. Is that acceptable?” the insect person asked.

“Yes,” Qrixit replied.

“Good, good, they will be two blue and twelve yellow per room,” the insect person said.

Anna looked over at Qrixit and saw that he was already counting out the gems, so she did the same. Once they passed the gems to the insect person, it handed them a token made from bone with numbers written in the trade language carved onto it.

“If you need anything, just let me know,” the insect person added.

“We will. Thank you,” Anna replied.

They left the counter and walked into the rear of the building. When they stepped through the brick archway, the floor changed from patterned clay brick to smooth red stone. There were rooms on either side of a long hallway that led clear to the back of the building. Each room had a number carved into the brickwork above the doorway which was filled with a bone and hide door.

Just to the left of the archway was a staircase that led to the upper floors of the building. They headed for it.

The stairs were part of the original construction of the building, though bricks had been laid on each step to allow races smaller than giants to use them comfortably. They made their way up to the second floor where they found two guards standing in the walkway that led to the rooms.

They walked up the next flight of stairs and over to the guards stationed there. Qrixit held out his token and the guard gestured for him to pass. She quickly did the same thing and was also allowed to pass. They found the rooms that matched the numbers on their tokens and entered through the bone and hide door.

The room was empty save for a stone bed along the right-hand wall and a bone and hide table with chairs in the center of the room. There was one large window in the room, and it was twenty or so feet off the ground on the rear wall. Below the window, there was a ladder built into the wall to allow the shorter races, such as herself, to open and close it unaided.

She walked over to the bed and sat down, putting her arms behind her and leaning back. She looked up at the ceiling and kicked her feet gently. A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on her door.

“It’s open!” she said, sitting up.

Qrixit opened her door and looked around the room before setting his eyes on her.

“Want to go get some food?” he asked.

“I’d love to!” she replied.

“Good. I know a great place nearby,” he said.

“You know a lot of things about this city, don’t you?” she asked.

“I’d hope so. I’ve been coming here every year for the last hundred and twenty years,” he replied.

She slid off the bed and walked over to him.

“So, how old are you anyway?” she asked.

“Four hundred and thirteen,” he replied.

“Wow,” she said.

“How old are you?” he asked.

Should I tell him the truth, or should I just tell him I’m eighteen like usual? I guess I could just tell him the truth. It’s not like he knows how old humans are supposed to be when they become adults or anything.

“I’m six,” she replied.

He cocked his head in a very bird-like fashion.

“Well, that explains a lot,” he said.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“Nothing for you to worry about. Now, come along,” he replied.

He walked out of her room, and she scurried after him, closing the door behind her when she left.  They walked back down the stairs and then out of the inn, quickly heading back the way they had come. Then they turned down one of the small, crowded streets that she assumed was simply an alley when the city had been populated by giants but had been transformed into a busy thoroughfare by the current inhabitants.

She heard a drumming and looked around, trying to see where it was coming from. Qrixit suddenly stopped and pulled her to the side of the road.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Don’t speak and bow your head!” he replied.

“Why?” she asked.

“Just do as I say! I’ll explain later!” he replied.

She noticed that the rest of the people on the street had moved to the sides and were bowing their heads, creating a wide pathway down the middle. She bowed her head but glanced up, trying to figure out what was going on.

A few moments later, a large group of serpent people wearing armor and carrying spears came into view. They slowly slithered past while the crowd of people on either side of the street remained motionless with their heads down. Once they were well passed, people began to move again, going about their business as if nothing had happened.

“Who were they?” she asked.

“Cartel enforcers,” he replied.

“That really doesn’t tell me anything,” she said.

“The city is run by a trade cartel, and those men were some of its enforcers,” he replied.

“So, they’re like guards?” she asked.

“No, they’re just hired strongmen the cartel uses to keep everyone in line,” he replied.

“That sounds like a guard to me,” Anna said.

“I suppose it does, but they don’t patrol the city or go after criminals like guards in other places do,” he replied.

“So, who does that?” she asked.

“No one. Merchants hire guards to keep their businesses safe, like the ones at the inn, and if things like beatings or killings happen, it’s up to that person’s friends to deal with it,” he replied.

 “That sounds terrible!” she said.

“Maybe, but it works,” he replied.

“I’ll take your word for it,” she said.

Qrixit pushed the door to one of the brick buildings open, and they walked inside. She found herself in a large room filled with tables where people of all kinds were seated, eating a wide variety of different foods, all of which appeared to be raw, much to her disappointment.

They walked to one of the smaller tables and sat down. A being with five segments crawled over to their table. Each segment had four legs, two eyes, and a mouth. It pushed three of its segments into the air and shifted its eyes to look at both Qrixit and herself simultaneously.

“What would you like?” it asked, speaking from the mouth nearest to them.

“I’d like a plate of voomel,” Qrixit replied.

“What’s that?” Anna asked.

“Finely cut meat and fat that have been soaked in the stomach juices of a young braxle,” he replied.

“Is it good?” she asked.

“I like it,” he replied.

“I’ll take that too. Do you have anything other than water to drink?” she asked.

“We have bonloe and erona,” the segmented thing replied.

“What are those?” Anna asked.

“Bonloe is vexno urine that has been…” it replied.

“No, just no, what’s the other thing?” she asked, interrupting.

“Fresh blood with tonon venom mixed in,” it replied.

“What’s a tonon?” she asked.

“It’s a big snail. You know, erona is strong stuff. You probably shouldn’t drink it,” Qrixit replied.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” she said.

“So you want some erona then?” the segmented thing asked.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Alright, so that’ll be two plates of voomel and a jar of erona then?” it asked.

“Yes,” Qrixit replied.

The segmented being crawled away from the table.

“What kind of person was that?” Anna asked.

“They are an Incolo,” he replied.

“They?” she asked.

“Yes, each segment is a separate person,” Qrixit replied.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ve dealt with their kind many times,” he replied.

She looked at the Incolo who was currently placing plates of meat at a table on the other side of the room for a few moments before looking back at Qrixit.  

“Sorry I didn’t tell you I was female sooner,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied.

“Okay,” she said.

“Also, I’d like to say I was never upset, just surprised. It’s not as if it makes any difference to be honest,” he added.

“Yeah,” she replied.

The Incolo returned and placed plates of pungent smelling meat in front of both of them as well as a large jar filled with bright red blood in front of her. She picked up the jar and took a drink as Qrixit looked on. The drink was thick and hot with a salty metallic taste as one would expect blood to have.

There was also a strong bittersweet flavor which she assumed was from the venom. She swallowed down the mouthful and placed the jar back on the table before licking her lips.

“Not bad,” she said.

“Do you feel any numbness or tingling?” Qrixit asked.

“No, why?” she asked.

“Those are signs that the venom is harmful, so it’s safe to say you’ll be fine, probably,” he replied.

“I told you before, I’m tougher than I look,” she said.

“So it would seem,” he replied.

She picked up one of the thin slices of meat from her plate and popped it in her mouth. The meat was soft to the point of being gelatinous and had a strong sour flavor to it. She washed down the bite with a sip from the jar and then picked up another piece.

“So, how often do you run into enforcers?” she asked.

“Usually not often, but there’s a big festival the cartel puts on just before the rains start, so they make sure to be seen in the weeks leading up to it so everyone remembers to behave themselves,” Qrixit replied.

“There’s going to be a festival?!” she asked excitedly.

“Oh, yes. It’s quite a spectacle,” he replied.

“I love festivals!” she said.

“Well then, we’ll have to make sure you have as much fun as possible,” he replied.

“YAY!” she said.