Chapter Sixteen: Traveling Merchant

Dayn managed to procure a few supplies from outlying farms on his journey north at a fairly reasonable price, he had left without any of his supplies and was quite unprepared for the long journey. He didn't know much of the northlands only that they were beyond the Osaran Desert and that the Inquisitors were constantly at odds with them.

He didn't bother to change his clothes despite being soaked through, the moisture would at least help him for a while under the blazing golden sands of the scorched wasteland. He reached the edge by nightfall of the first day, he thought to himself it would likely be more comfortable to travel at night but sleeping during the day would be impossible.

Dayn set up a crude camp and fell into a fitful sleep, he awoke the next morning to a young doe licking the moisture from his face, as he stirred the wild animal bolted back towards a nearby copse of trees. He had been pretty out of it yesterday in his fatigue he hadn't realized he set his crude camp next to a small stream.

"I'm lucky I wasn't attacked in my sleep" he removed his tunic and soaked it in the water, took a large gulp of water from the skin he had bartered off a farmer before refilling it. This could be the last water he would set his eyes upon in the coming days, he wrapped his tunic around his head and set off into the blazing desert sun.

The trip had been long, Dayn had run out of water a full day ago, he could see a massive cliff face in the distance he had been making his way towards but it seemed no closer today then it had yesterday. He was beginning to develop a powerful thirst, he heard in his previous life that you could drink the fluid from cacti to rehydrate yourself in emergency situations, he looked around and so nothing but sand and the occasional dead vegetation. He continued to push forward despite night having fallen, he swore he could see a light approaching him, "Great, I must be more dehydrated then I thought I'm starting to hallucinate."

He pushed on, as day had begun to break Dayn collapsed, he couldn't move another foot without a drink, the wind began to pick up blowing sand in his face, what he wouldn't give for another one of those flash storms. As his consciousness had begun to fade he felt cold liquid splash him in the face, he looked up to see a man standing over him.

"How lucky you must find yourself to have collapsed upon Sabrim el Rashid's route" the man said happily a big smile on his face, the man let out a hearty laugh. "I have water, I have food, I have comfortable clothing, anything to suit your needs!" Dayn looked up and croaked the word water. The merchant pushed a water skin to Dayn's lips, he drunk the cool liquid greedily, "That will be a single gold coin!" the merchant said an out raised hand, Dayn couldn't even begin to think how outrageous that was as he reached into his pouch and passed a coin to the man.

"Now that that's settled your limbs seem to weak to rise so Sabrim will place you on his wagon, you will pay Sabrim a gold coin per day for the service." Dayn didn't know if he had nodded or not but felt himself lifted as his consciousness began to fade.

Dayn was shaken awake as the travelling cart ground to a halt, his eyes flickered open to be greeted by the smiling face of the merchant, "We rest for the evening my good sir, traveling at night is far to dangerous." Now that Dayn got a good look at the man he was beyond ostentatious, he had a bald head but a massive black beard which dangled down onto his ample belly, his blue eyes glittered like gemstones and he was swathed in silk.

The silk's were outrageous, it looked like some manner of toga, the fabric was dyed in a bright purple hue, over his left shoulder was a vibrant orange sash, he wore sandals with straps that ran up his legs with silver clasps. The man performed a spin his belly flopping on completion, "I see you admiring my delightful garb" he said letting out a deafening laugh, "Finest outfit money can buy!"

They reached the lift by the next day, Dayn tried to make his tunic presentable again but it was covered in wrinkles, stains, and sand, the color had faded somewhat with wear and it had some new tears in it. The operators at the bottom waved them through, Sabrim rode his wagon up a ramp and onto the platform, it jolted slowly rising, Dayn looked over the edge and the ground began to shrink away beneath them.

Sabrim smiled at him, "First time?" Dayn barely heard him as he was focused on the height they were, he could see well across the flat wasteland below them, he thought he saw an oasis to the east of where he had collapsed. Sabrim nudged him, "Sorry what?" "Zuxmel is a fabulous city" he said spreading his arms wide, "It's a merchant's paradise, they aren't burdened by the intricacies of good and evil, all are welcome as long as they obey the laws." It reminded Dayn of his own world, although in his home good and evil were barely mentioned most things were regarded as grey areas.

The lift reached its destination and Dayn walked onto the waiting dock, beyond the dock was a vast lush grass land populated by various herds of the many farms he could see dotting the landscape. His eyes widened as it found Zuxmel in the distance, the city was built around a giant misshapen land mass, It looked as if it had fallen from the sky and come to rest there.