Ter'aquit, Mercantile Capital of the West

Abandoning Phyllis at her cashwrap, I led the triop to a recently curtained-off corner of the shop. There, at the velvety red fabric barrier, I glanced at the sign above, confirming that this was, in fact, the entrance to the 'Magosdrome.'

It's giving 'adult section at the video store' vibes. I thought, fumbling around my bag for my student identification, which doubled as a Phyllis employee badge and my boarding pass. I hope the carpets behind are at least clean, and the room doesn't smell of body odour and sex.

After a moment, I withdrew the small card and approached the waist-high terminal beside the door. With a swipe of the object to the nearby crystal, the red light flashed green, and a satisfying tone sounded. Instantly, the curtain parted for us, revealing a wide hallway with tacky video store carpet and plain walls. Billboards stood beside a dozen unlabeled arches, each displaying a large 'Coming Soon' with palm trees flanking the words. I briefly admired the posters, which had a deeply vapourwave aesthetic, matching the interior of Phyllis's mall.

Moving deeper into the space with the triop, I quickly realized that two arches were in fact already labelled. Above the first read 'Sutin’eli', with the billboard beside it revealing a Phyllis-approved slogan: 'Sun. Surf. And Sand! Visit the Capital of Moal'aw today!' The background showed the bleached buildings of the capital with their domed turquoise roofs, and a familiar, hateful sun at the top of the image. On the opposite side of the hall from this archway was the entrance to 'Ter'aquit.' To this arch's side was the slogan, 'Find everything you could ever need in the mercantile capital of the west.' Here, the image showed a view from a canal of crystal-clear water, floating past stucco buildings with gorgeous mosaics plastering the walls.

And that's our gate. I thought, remembering the numerous flights I had taken in my past life and wondering how much quicker and easier this would be.

"What are these?" Aesandoral asked, inspecting the posters closely.

"The Magosdromes I was telling you about," I explained once again to the triop. "They're teleportation sigils that connect Phyllis' shoppe here in Dwindlefyre to franchised locations set up in every capital city."

"Are they safe?" Rionriv spoke up, inspecting the runes carefully. "Teleportation magic is temperamental at best. What if it spits us out into the ocean or atop a mountain or—"

"It's totally safe," I reassured her. "These are stable connections to other sigil locations. It's got a Phyllis guarantee to arrive with as many limbs as you entered with."

"That's...not comforting."

"It'll be fine!" 

Tugging at the sorceress, I pulled her and the rest of the group up the step and onto the floor-mounted platform beyond the Ter’aquit archway. The teleportation room was tight, with barely enough space to fit six people shoulder to shoulder. Luckily, we wouldn't be cursed to hold our position for long. Unlike airlines, within seconds we were ready to go, lacking any delays, checked baggage, or weather disruptions. Beneath our feet, the sigil etched into the stone dais flared a pale pink before flaring brilliantly.

One moment, I had been in the brightly lit space of Phyllis’s Magosdrome, staring at familiar carpets and travel posters, and the next thing I knew, I was in a musky, dimly lit basement. The light sources around us came from flickering sconces that reflected off thin streams of water trickling down the stone walls. A grate in the corner of the room drained the liquid away before it got too high. But, since the feature itself was slightly lifted, this meant a thin layer of water had formed beneath the teleportation platform.

Ouff—I've flown into some sketchy airports...but this takes the cake.

“Welcome to Ter’aquit.” The attendant to the side spoke lazily from behind his book. 

I eyed the seedy-looking figure as he paid no attention to us. Instinctively, I grabbed at my bottomless bag as I moved my vision off of him and to the rest of the room. The walls of this tight space were lined with bags, weapons, and various other mundane gear that could be sold off as last-minute purchases before departing from the Magosdrome. At a glance, I could immediately tell that everything present was marked up in price, including the dried snacks in brightly coloured bags hanging near the steps that spiralled up and out of view.

Damn, this airport is the gift shop too. Yeek. I don't remember it being this bad. I mean, I do remember writing that the other group of Phyllis employees had to grease a few palms to get the necessary approval in this economic hub city. And that some of those included working with the local Thieves Guild and installing the Magosdrome at one of their sanctioned locations—

"Eherm." The man cleared his throat, running a hand through his greasy, slicked-back hair before motioning to the side. “Please exit the sigil promptly and take the door to the left.”

“Thanks,” I replied, looking to the equally concerned triop before motioning to the exit. “Shall we?”

Without a second thought, the four of us made a hasty departure, stepping to the stone stairs that were our exit. Moving towards the surface, we passed by stalls that had been hastily carved into the passageway to the Magosdrome and were cluttered with goods. There, a bingo card of unsavoury individuals hocked odds-and-ends, many of which appeared to have been stolen or, judging by the blood on some, lifted off of dead bodies. We kindly passed on the bootleg texts and off-brand clothing, holding onto our bags tightly, before finally emerging onto a pier. 

As we did, a sudden blast of fresh ocean air passed over me, cleaning the musky scent from my nostrils, as a cacophony of a busy thoroughfare assaulted my ears. We were officially in Ter’aquit, the merchant city of western Moal’aw. 

This Arabian Venice of my dreams incorporate fantastic architecture, beautiful colours, and navigable canals, making it the most stunning trading hub for the entire continent. Pivoting my head, I admired the breathtaking mosaics built into the stone and stucco structures of the city, depicting tales of its creation after the Two Generations War. As I followed these artfully crafted stories, my gaze shifted to the horizon, where the occasional gold or lapis lazuli-topped watchtowers reached skyward, acting as both beacons for the masses and the ever-watchful eyes of the city. Finally, I looked down at my feet, glancing past the walkway towards the crystal clear canals, wide enough for multiple dinghies to pass each other. These routes allowed access to the majority of the oceanside city, leaving the larger waterways on the outskirts situated for grander ships, like galleons, to move easily to any of the numerous wharves.

I marvelled at the scenery of this maritime city for a moment longer before looking at my companions, expecting the same level of interest. But I was disappointed to see that they were completely uninterested in the magical location. Instead, they appeared to be gathering their bearings for a quick escape.

“Isn’t this place cool?” I asked them.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Rionriv replied as she gripped her bottomless bag tightly. “Hold onto your possessions. Thieves in this part of the city are usually pretty bad. Why would they set up a Magosdrome here?”

“Have you been here before?”

“Yeah. Last summer.” Aesandoral answered my question, giving a cautionary nod towards Rionriv.

Ah, they stopped here at some point along their failed mission. No wonder they couldn't care less about the place. They probably see it as a bad omen to be here. Maybe we should skip the free day of exploring the city. I can just come back by myself another time. I mean, I've got an airport in my front yard sooo—

“Hmm, why don’t we just hail a ferry to the North-East Shipmasters Ward?" I mused, looking around for a passing dinghy. "That would probably be the safest route.”

“Probably,” Rionriv agreed as she raised a hand and waved to a small passing gondola. “Hey, looking for passage!”

Steering itself to us, the small boat stopped and allowed us on. Loading in quickly, I watched as Rionriv paid the gondolier a single gold coin before asking him to drop us off in the northeast. He nodded with a smile, quickly pocketing the overpaid fare without question and moving out.

As we passed through the canals, our boat drifted under stone walkways and vibrant tarps that regularly changed the atmosphere while shielding us from the harsh sun. I leaned over the boat, running my hands along the cool water with a soft smile, remembering pleasurable moments from my last life of kayaking down rivers and along the edges of lakes. But my daydream wouldn't last long as we began moving alongside bigger and smaller boats alike. I marvelled at the wonder of the inner city before eventually rounding the southernmost inlet where massive galleons came and went in a coordinated flow.

The efficiency of the hundreds of ships coming and going every day was only accomplished thanks to the Ter’aquit Master Lighthouse. The grand tower, over three hundred feet in height, functioned as the city’s vessel traffic system, where local maritime Magilancers directed the flow of ships.

I glanced over at the towering lighthouse, admiring the spiral mosaic resembling waves that reached towards its apex. There, at its height, a golden-topped dome acted as the roof to a relatively open control center. Even from far away, I could see dozens of mages moving along the outskirts where I knew they were keeping an eye on approaching ships and magically sending coordinated messages.

Luckily for us, we wouldn't be going into the largest channels where we'd have to compete with galleons for room. Instead, remaining close to the edge of the inner city, we passed a narrow patch of vendors reaching out over the water as they peddled their wares. Bright fabrics draped over us at one section, while at another, juicy-looking fruits were being extended our way. Seeing one particular delicacy that caught my attention, I reached into my bag and withdrew a single coin. Flicking a silver piece towards the older man, he handed over a small bag of fresh citrus, which I marvelled over. Distributing them to my companions, I reached into my bag for something else I had purchased in secret back in the shop, determining this to be the best time to hand them out.

“Hey, so I also bought these for this mission,” I spoke, clearing my throat and revealing four thin discs. "One for each of us.

Handing out the objects, which were nothing more than a slice of magical shale with a simple rune etched over its surface, I eyed my companion's mixed reactions. Holding the fourth relatively minor magic item between my thumb and index finger, I placed it flush to my temple. Immediately, a momentary icy sensation flowed through my mind as magic pooled at the point of contact before comfortably warming back to my normal body temperature.

“You shouldn’t have,” Aes remarked, taking the device and inspecting it. “What is it?”

“It’s so we can talk to each other if we get separated,” I explained and tapped the item. “With this, even when we’re out of eyesight, we can tap it and keep each other informed of sudden threats or windfalls.”

“Like this?” Sharzin spoke softly, her finger pressed to her temple.

Like this? Her voice echoed in the back of my mind. A chill charged down my spine at the new voice whispering in my head.

“Oy, that’s a weird sensation," I said with a sudden shiver. "But yes.”

The other two quickly followed our lead, affixing the magical jewelry and testing them out. By the time we had explored focusing our minds on messaging each other individually and as a group, we had reached the northeastern shore.

Disembarking, I glanced behind us at the massive shipyard I hadn't noticed as we played with our magical tools. As I did, a large vessel slipped out from the warehouse and into the water. Running at a standard pace, each of the three shipyards across the bay from us produced a new mercantile galleon once every three days. It was an impressive display of manufacturing that all but guaranteed Ter’aquit its title of mercantile hub of the new world. But I also knew that one day soon, Anak'hati would gain control of those very shipyards and begin pushing out an unbeatable fleet of galleons that would rule the seas for years to come.

Th-that's just how the story needs to go. I tried to remind myself. The heroes will take care of it. They'll free Ter'aquit and the entire region from Anak rule. The deaths—they're for the betterment of this world.

Shifting my gaze as tears began to form, I stared at the steady incline to the cliffside agricultural districts. Beyond the ramshackle houses and various businesses was the breadbasket territory of Moal’aw, where the majority of the food for all three nations was grown. It was also the way we were set to travel—onward and upward towards our first real-world adventure together.