Allison had been right about the lack of trouble—they were left alone for the rest of the journey. But another two nights with double shifts in armor didn`t do anyone any favors. Jeremiah felt guilty as the bags under his companion`s eyes deepened, but there was little he could do.

　　On the morning of the third day, Jeremiah awoke to a sailor shouting, "One hour till port! One hour till port! Left belongings will become property of The Happy Hippo and Happy Hippo Enterprises!"

　　The barge buzzed with activity as people started to pack up. Jeremiah and the others hurried to gather their gear and join the crowd waiting near the gangplank to disembark.

　　Soon enough, the barge rounded a bend in the river to reveal a small dock town. Jeremiah craned his neck for a glimpse of Dramir`s legendary wall, but beyond the town was acres of rolling pasture, scenery reminiscent of where he grew up.

　　Messages whistled through the morning haze as the Hippo neared the dock. The river port was already swollen with activity as harbor hands tended to boats, sailors scrambled over their vessels, and merchants hawked their goods to departing and arriving passengers. A long line of carts and carriages unloaded travelers and picked up new ones before trundling back along a long dusty road. Jeremiah decided they must be heading toward Dramir.

　　The Happy Hippo dropped her anchor and was lashed to the dock. Once the gangplank went down, Jeremiah and the others joined the claustrophobic press of passengers. A sizable chunk of the hull of the Hippo opened to give access to the cargo hold. Jeremiah, Bruno, and Allison found an out-of-the-way spot to wait as the ironwood doors were unloaded, while Delilah secured transport to Dramir.

　　Presently, Delilah returned with a wide cart drawn by a pair of powerful-looking oxen. It took the help of five dock porters and the driver to wrestle the doors aboard. Delilah tipped them a copper apiece, then clambered after the others onto the simple bench seating. The oxen strained against the load and the cart peeled away from the dock.

　　Jeremiah tried to contain his excitement as they passed the outlying farms. His companions were silent, gazing into the distance as the wagon rattled along, but Jeremiah was restless with anticipation. He squinted at the horizon, wishing the oxen would plod just a bit faster.

　　They travelled for well over an hour through farmland and sheep fields. Buildings grew more frequent, and they passed more travelers on the road. Finally, they crested one last hill and the sight Jeremiah had been waiting for came into view.

　　Jeremiah dropped all pretense and leapt out of his seat to see better. His jaw dropped as the famous wall of Dramir rose over the horizon, and dwarfed the pastoral buildings surrounding it. Only the spires of the palace towers surpassed the height of the wall, revealing that a city may indeed be hidden within. Huge slabs of polished grey limestone had been affixed to the wall`s outside surface, removing all texture and transforming the wall into an enormous monolith of smooth reflective stone. Ballistae and scorpions lined the battlements, and round towers stood like sentries at regular intervals. It was easy to see why Dramir had never been tested in siege—the wall was more than imposing, it was awe inspiring.

　　"You`re the worst kind of tourist," Bruno laughed. "You have no idea how hard it is to not rob you right now."

　　Jeremiah sat back with a bashful grin. "Sorry. I`ve only ever been to Nosirin before." Nosirin wasn`t nearly as big as Dramir, and was much uglier.

　　"There`s a lot to see!" said Delilah. "The markets are some of best, you can buy anything there."

　　He watched, enthralled, as the wall somehow grew larger and larger. Closer, he spotted suspended wooden platforms, supporting tiny figures washing the wall`s surface. It looked like a hopeless chore, like trying to clean a mountain.

　　Allison said, "You get in any kind of trouble here and the first thing they do is assign you to a wall cleaning crew."

　　Bruno shuddered. Jeremiah wondered if he had memories of that very thing.

　　The road lead right to the base of the wall, where a queue of travelers was ushered one-by-one through a massive gatehouse. Soon they passed into the shadow of the wall itself. The high sun disappeared behind the gigantic barbican, and the echoes of dozens of slow-moving wheels filled the air. The wheels of their cart rumbled as they crossed a wooden drawbridge over the swift-moving river moat below.

　　Jeremiah did his best to contain his excitement. The ceiling of the barbican featured murder holes so broad a pair of horses could fit through them side by side. Countless arrow slits lined the walls, some large enough to hide ballistae or worse.

　　This is a killing zone, he thought. Imagine what they could do with a necromancer on their side! He imagined hordes of orcish warriors being torn to shreds, only to rise as the new undead defenders of the city, turning on the terrified and hapless attackers&

　　Jeremiah came out of his fantasy to realize their turn for inspection had arrived. A guard in leather brigandine armor greeted the driver and began looking over their cart. Jeremiah noticed Bruno had stiffened and seemed to be holding his breath. Allison gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but he didn`t relax until the guard motioned them forward, seemingly satisfied.

　　They finally passed through the barbican and into an explosion of sound. The cart rolled through a wide market plaza swarming with people and carts and wagons. Jeremiah`s head reeled at the sheer number of brightly colored market stalls, displaying everything you could imagine. Barkers hollered advertisements for their goods, frugal shoppers haggled with miserly store owners, and children holding aloft meals, snacks, and drinks swarmed the carts that entered the city. They shouted and touted their offerings as the best in the city, the best there`s ever been, the best there ever could be, everything so cheap it was practically free, of course.

　　Jeremiah`s senses fixated on the aromas emanating from freshly cooked slabs of meat, spiced kebabs, and still bubbling iced cinnamon rolls. Though he wasn`t hungry, the compulsion to eat was overwhelming.

　　"It`s your money, tourist," said Bruno. But he joined Jeremiah by the side of the cart. Jeremiah fished in his pockets for a handful of coppers and let his eyes do the ordering. Once he had replaced the coins with an armful of food, Bruno shouted something in a language Jeremiah had never heard, and all but two of the children vanished. One of the children shook his head no and ran off, but the other handed Bruno a rolled piece of parchment. Bruno tossed this child a silver coin and she disappeared.

　　Jeremiah couldn`t help but marvel at the scale of it all while he savored his treats (which his comrades declined to share). Delilah directed the driver through the cobble streets until they stopped along a residential road. Two identical rows of well-appointed houses with white walls of daub and bare wooden beams lined the street.

　　"Home sweet home!" Delilah said. She gave additional instructions to the driver regarding the doors, then paid the fee and ushered everyone inside.

　　Delilah`s home was beautiful. The front door opened onto a refined receiving room connected to a small kitchen. An ornate oak table straddled the transition between kitchen and receiving room, etched with intricate geometric designs. An elegant sofa faced a cold fireplace from the center of the receiving room. It was flanked by a pair of stately upholstered chairs. This was by far the fanciest house Jeremiah had ever set foot in.

　　The others dropped their bags with groans of relief and kicked off their shoes to enjoy the lush carpet. Jeremiah followed suit, although he wasn`t sure he could ever be comfortable in such a lavish space. Three more rooms were accessible down a hall off the receiving room. The nearest door was ajar, revealing a tidy bedroom bereft of decoration save for a panoply of weapons, arranged neatly on the wall. A narrow staircase off the kitchen led to an upper floor. For Jeremiah, whose childhood home had consisted of two rooms for his whole family, the house might as well have been a palace, albeit one which had been accumulating an air of abandonment.

　　A pleasant spring breeze filled the room as Delilah threw the windows open, disturbing the thin layer of dust over everything. Bruno yawned, which was soon imitated by everyone else. He hastily removed his armor, letting it fall unceremoniously to the ground. He collapsed on the sofa wearing only his trousers.

　　"Oh, that is so much better," said Delilah. She sat beside Bruno and began unwrapping layer after armored layer.

　　"No, don`t get comfy yet," said Allison. "Help me get my armor off, then you can sit." Bruno groaned, but climbed to his feet. He and Allison tugged at the straps of her armor until she was down to a padded doublet. This too she threw aside, leaving only her smallclothes. Her skin was criss-crossed with innumerable raised white scars. She and Bruno sank heavily into the sofa next to the delayered Delilah.

　　Allison, Bruno, and Delilah stared blankly at the empty fireplace. Jeremiah lowered himself into one of the chairs, acutely aware of how exhausted the three of them were, and how rested he was.

　　Minutes slipped by. The peaceful room was a thousand miles from the bustle of the city Jeremiah yearned to explore. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. A cart rattled past outside. Somebody nearby sang a pleasant melody as they performed their chores. He was finally here, in the great city of Dramir! But on the list of things he wanted to see and do here, sit quietly in a room was quite low.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

　　Several more minutes passed before Jeremiah dared disturb the quietude. "What do we do now?" he asked.

　　Nobody answered at first. Finally Delilah closed her eyes. "We need to&" she trailed off, then took a slow breath. "We need to get some rest. Allison, Bruno, get up. No sleeping on the sofa."

　　Bruno stirred a little, but the rhythmic rise and fall of Allison`s chest remained undisturbed.

　　"Allison!" Delilah said. Allison started awake. Delilah slowly rose to her feet. "Jeremiah, get some water from the well pump outside, please."

　　Jeremiah did as he was asked. Delilah made everyone drink two full cups of water. Allison disappeared into the first bedroom the moment she finished.

　　"Jay, your room is up the stairs on the right," Delilah said. "Might be musty, but it`s furnished. My lab is upstairs on the left. Stay out." With that she went to her own room down the hall.

　　Bruno paused before heading to his own room. "If you go out today, be back here by dark. No gambling. No dark alleys. No looking for trouble. If trouble finds you, you say my name until the trouble goes away."

　　"Yes, Mom," said Jeremiah, rolling his eyes.

　　"That`s m`boy." Bruno pat him on the head, then staggered down the hall and closed the door behind him.

　　And with that, Jeremiah was alone for the first time in days. Just him and Gus, like it always should have been. Alone was safe, and there was a certain freedom in that. His excitement swelled as he stepped out the front door. In a couple of days he`d have a few extra silver to his name, but for now he had a roof to sleep under and a city to explore.

　　Jeremiah started toward the center of the city, a short distance from Delilah`s house. There were so many different kinds of people here! Elves, dwarves, haflings, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and even orcs mingled among humans, dealing with shopkeepers or rushing past on business. Jeremiah, whose home village had whispered for a week about a single dwarf visitor, was caught gawking more than once, much to his embarrassment. He even saw a troll in chain armor escorting some sort of rich merchant. The troll returned his curious stare with a snarl and flex of his enormous clawed fingers.

　　Dramir`s center was dominated by the palace, its massive peaked towers visible from anywhere. Four spires stretched skyward, arrayed around a tremendous fifth. The area was full of other visitors taking in the sights, and Jeremiah joined them in craning his neck to marvel at the golden creeping vines that grew along the palace`s white stone walls, which were as smooth as marble. Statues became more and more frequent as he neared the palace, and he found himself stopping frequently to gaze up at the bronze-cast features of some renowned hero, beloved nobleman, or brilliant scientist from the city`s long history.

　　Jeremiah passed through the gate to the palace grounds, noting that the guards were armed to the teeth. He had to shield his eyes against the sun glinting off their plate armor and full-faced helms. He gave them a wide berth, but still felt their scrutiny as he hurried by.

　　The palace proper was closed to the public, but access to one of the ornate towers was granted for just two copper. Jeremiah scaled the seemingly endless tower steps, his lungs and legs burning and his robes soon drenched with sweat. He kept his eyes on his feet as he climbed, glancing up only to squeeze past other visitors stopping to catch their breath or manage a strained smile at those lucky enough to be descending.

　　At last, he rounded the last few steps and emerged at the top of the tower. With shaking legs, he leaned against the battlement, gulping down the fresh air. After a few minutes, his breath returned, and he was able to appreciate the dizzying distance to the plaza below. The tower afforded a view of the entire city, revealing rings of the city`s expansion like the growth of a tree

　　"Nice view, eh?` said a voice at his elbow.

　　Jeremiah turned to see a gnomish couple standing on tip-toe to peer over the embrasure of the battlement. The male gnome was grinning at him. "Absolutely!" said Jeremiah. "Worth climbing all those stairs to see."

　　"First time in Dramir?" asked the female gnome.

　　"Yeah. First day, actually," said Jeremiah.

　　"Oh, you picked a wonderful place to start! My husband and I come every year, and we always make sure to climb the tower. Works up an appetite so we can eat plenty of treats later!"

　　Jeremiah`s stomach rumbled in agreement. "You come every year? You must know all about the city, then!"

　　The husband puffed out his chest. "You could say so! I`m something of an amateur historian myself. I can tell you stories about every street and alley in Dramir. For example, right down there is where they executed Gillian Folds for treason after she sold state secrets to Barad Celegald. Drawn and quartered she was, exceptionally brutal by all accounts!"

　　The gnomes introduced themselves as Goshwick and Mathilde. Jeremiah spent an enjoyable half hour listening to their stories and entertaining their curiosities about him, though always mindful to not let slip anything incriminating.

　　Goshwick explained that besides the imposing wall, Dramir enjoyed the protection of a river that had been diverted around either side of the city to form a running moat. A channel of the river entered the city itself to transport goods within the walls. Jeremiah squinted at those dingy roofs, packed together around the docks as tight as snake scales, suspecting they may have been where Bruno grew up.

　　Once Jeremiah`s stomach rumbling became too obvious for even the politest gnome to ignore, Mathilde tugged her husbands hand.

　　"Goshy! The boy is skin and bones, and you`re boring him with your stories. Come Jeremiah, Red Coals Tavern is just nearby and we`re having lunch there. I insist you join us! It`s the best in the city."

　　Mathilde was right—Jeremiah was famished by the time they reached the bottom of the tower. At Red Coals, they enjoyed splendid (if overpriced) skewers of veal steaks charred over an open hickory and peach wood fire, in what Jeremiah was assured was the most authentic Dramian tradition.

　　Jeremiah tried to surreptitiously count his coins, but Mathilde spotted him and slapped at his hands. "You put those away this very moment! We invited you, so it`s our treat."

　　"Ooh, you`ve done it now lad," said Goshwick. "You`ll sooner stop the rain than convince Milly to let you pay!"

　　Jeremiah put up as much protest as seemed appropriate, but he was grateful. He was beginning to realize that tourism in Dramir was awfully pricey, and his pockets were already running light. Nevertheless, Jeremiah`s discomfort at the gnomes` generosity led him to bid them farewell after the meal. He reminded himself he`d be getting paid soon, but that fact didn`t lessen the sting of his lack today.

　　Escaping the gravity of the crowds, he began heading toward the tucked away corners of the city, where visitors rarely roamed. Buildings became less ostentatious and more practical, the streets became dustier, and the residents were no longer dressed to impress. Here, it felt like he was discovering the city for himself, not as it was presented to him.

　　Jeremiah wandered, as entranced by the densely-packed urban dwellings as he had been by the grand architecture of the center. He soon found himself meandering neighborhoods cast into semidarkness by the shadow of the great wall as it stretched in the afternoon light. He felt eyes sticking to him while he walked.

　　Jeremiah heard a charismatic voice speaking with authority, and turned to spot a small crowd gathering in a grimy plaza. He took a step toward it, curious, and froze. Something about the area was unfriendly. The houses on either side glared down at him.

　　These aren`t your streets, he thought in Bruno`s voice. Don`t butt into people`s lives.

　　But he was free and alive, and eager for new experiences.

　　Jeremiah joined the dun-colored crowd. Before them, a halfling stood on a barrel. Two men of prodigious size flanked him, wearing breastplates dented with a thousand heroic stories. Their service to the halfling made him seem all the louder as he gesticulated toward the gathered crowd. "My friends, your chance has finally come! Adventure, prestige, hearty meals, generous pay, and the skills to make you a person of value! I see strong arms and barrel chests in this crowd, the glimmer of keen eyes and minds too, oh yes."

　　The halfling pointed at a young half-orc boy, lanky and underfed, his skin yellowish green. "You there, young man! Orc blood earns you a place of pride in the Keepsmen Mercenary Company. Would you like to be proud of your heritage, and come to share in the brotherly love of camaraderie?"

　　The young half-orc stammered as the crowd turned toward him. "I-I spose I would?"

　　"Of course you would! Gallas, take the young lad aside and fit him for a suit of his very own armor. A weapon as well! I think I see the makings of a great spearman in that one."

　　One of the big men pushed the crowd aside and put an arm around the boy. "Make way for a warrior!" he said, pulling the boy toward a table that had been set up beside an alley.

　　"A good local boy has just decided to become a hero. I hope he won`t have to go it alone! Who else would like to receive five silver as signing bonus as soon as next month? On top of your pay?"

　　Jeremiah found himself slowly nodding along with the boisterous halfling. His manner of speaking was infectious. Jeremiah could imagine himself charging into glorious battle alongside his brothers in arms.

　　I do need a plan for after I get my money, don`t I? Mercenary work might be just the thing. Might be the perfect thing actually, he thought.

　　Jeremiah snapped out of his reverie as the halfling`s unrelenting charisma focused on him.

　　"Ah-hah! There`s another strong soul, I think. Tell me, boy, what sort of labor do you toil at day after day? Hmm?"

　　"I, um, I actually, I don`t yet have—"

　　"I can`t you hear you, son, speak up!"

　　The crowd turned to stare at him as one. Gus wriggled in his robes.

　　"I-I`m not...I do magic."

　　The halfling squinted and tilted an ear toward him. "Wassat, boy?"

　　"I`m a mage," Jeremiah finally said with confidence.

　　There was a collective murmur and Jeremiah felt the heat of bodies around him abate. The halfling`s jovial nature transformed into intense inspection.

　　"That true, boy? You`re not having a laugh?" The halfling`s voice dropped to a conspiratorial pitch.

　　Jeremiah took a breath, bringing his focus to bear. He was numb to the pressure of performance, at least where magic was concerned. A sphere of light ignited in his hand. He let it float and oscillate gently. The crowd gasped, and the halfling`s eyes gleamed.

　　"Two gold. Son, you come sign up for the Keepsmen and I`ll hand you two gold coins right this minute." He produced a pair of golden coins with a flick of his wrist, a magic trick that pulled more awe from the crowd than Jeremiah`s paltry ball of light. The coins danced across his knuckles in a lustrous waltz, glinting and whispering to each other in metallic clicks.

　　Jeremiah was hypnotized by them. Just his name on a dotted line was worth two gold?

　　The halfling, taking his silence for indecision, upped the ante. "And I`ll promote you right now. You`ll come on as a Sergeant, you know what that is, eh? An officer. Better pay, better meals, authority. We won`t have a mage shoveling shit in the Keepsmen, no sir."

　　The crowd was silent with anticipation now. Jeremiah was right along with them. A future stretched out before him, a place where a mage like him would be lauded and respected&

　　We`d be foolish not to ask a mage to join us. He remembered Allison had said that, mere hours before he was begging for his life. They`d want to see what he could do, want to know how best to use him. And Jeremiah, in turn, would raise the dead.

　　"What say you, boy?" The halfling licked his lips.

　　"I-I think I should go," said Jeremiah, "thank you." He turned and hurried away, pulling his hood up over his head.

　　"Lieutenant! I`ll make you a Lieutenant! You come back to me, boy, I`ll be waiting!"