Parthava cities part 1

A few weeks before. Rufus, Amala, and Suomi moved southward, toward the unknown settlement. Samarqnd lay in the east, as did the god.

They ended up in a lush area. Pine trees were traded for leafy trees and the climate became warm. 

As they walked, they found themselves on a hill. where apples grew and a large city was seen, with high walls surrounding it. 

In the shadow of the high walls of the city, Rufus, Amala, and Suomi paused, taking in the sight before them. The city, with its sturdy walls and bustling activity visible even from a distance, was a stark contrast to the vast, open grasslands they had traversed. The air was filled with the scent of pine and fresh leaves, a welcome change from the dry steppes.

"This must be it," Rufus murmured, his eyes scanning the city's defenses and the surrounding landscape. "We need to be cautious. We don't know what kind of reception we'll receive."

Amala nodded, her hand gripping her weapon slightly tighter. "Let's find a way in without drawing too much attention."

Suomi, looking visibly weakened but determined, added, "I can feel strong divine energy here. This place... it's different."

As they approached the city, they noticed the gates were heavily guarded. Merchants, travelers, and locals seemed to pass through after brief inspections. Rufus led the way, trying to blend in with a group of traders.

They had covered their faces, as they were worried that this city was also under the control of the Scethian sassans and Arslan who despised humans to the point of exterminating any and all humans. 

They then looked around and saw a few gravity ships flying into the city, flying over the wall. Many commercial ships, bring goods in on constant flow. 

As they got to be inspected by the guards, the commander looked around and just casually said, "Hmmmm two humans and," showing no care that they were humans, and then took a look at Amala, "You called what?"

"Grey skin," Amala answered. 

"Not much creativity with you people huh? Are you just by yourself? No commerce here?" he asked.

"Commerce?" Rufus asked.

"Stuff to sell."

"No," Rufus said who was confused. 

"Then you are good to go," the guard said and gave them way in. 

They were quiet. 

"This is Erebar of the Parthava cities. We are not Scethians, okay? We have no quarrel with humans, only with unregistered trade goods," he said and pointed at the gates. 

The trio entered the city of Erebar, part of the Parthava cities, with a sense of relief and curiosity. The attitude of the guard had been unexpectedly nonchalant, particularly towards their human and grey skin identities, a stark contrast to the hostility they had encountered elsewhere.

As they walked through the bustling streets, they were struck by the diversity and vibrancy of the city. The air was filled with the sounds of different languages and the smells of a variety of cuisines. Merchants hawked their wares, from exotic spices to intricate textiles, while locals and travelers alike thronged the markets and taverns.

Rufus, keeping a low profile, observed the interactions around them. "Huh, this place seems," he thought for the word. "What was the word I would describe such a place."

"Nice?" Amala said.

"Not a black hole that sucks all hope," Suomi said. 

As they walked around the city, they saw how a building was being built. As the construction workers were about to finish, the entire building collapsed, almost crushing many people, but the stone rubbles were turned to dust by Rufus. 

The sudden collapse of the building and Rufus's quick intervention to prevent casualties drew the attention of the surrounding crowd. People gasped and murmured in shock, both at the unexpected disaster and the miraculous way it had been averted.

Rufus realized that their low profile had just been compromised. Before they would try to run off, a man with a cane walked towards them and yelled out, "Thank you so much, you saved these men's lives."

An old sassan man walked escorted by a sassan warrior. He was extremely old but had gentle eyes. His claw-like hands were wrinkly and barely could hold onto the cane.

He then touched Rufus on his shoulder and whispered, "You did good."

He then walked to the sight of the rubble and nodded, "This isn't right. You men have been working months on this building," he said and started to scribble text onto the sand on the ground with his cane. 

The old sassan man, his movements slow but deliberate, continued to inscribe intricate symbols and texts onto the ground with his cane. The crowd, including Rufus, Amala, and Suomi, watched in silence as the man wrote such detailed text.

As the old man finished his inscriptions, he stepped back, and something remarkable happened. The sand began to glow with a soft light, and the air around the collapsed building shimmered. Slowly, the rubble began to move, almost as if guided by invisible hands. Stones and debris started to reassemble, piece by piece, reconstructing the building in reverse of its collapse.

The crowd busted into cheers, chanting the name, "Margu! Margu!"

The construction workers went and thanked the man, "You could have done that in the first place instead of us working on it for months," one said to Margu.

"Well would you then appreciate my help so much if I didn't in such a late stage come to your rescue," Margu answered jokingly back. 

The jovial exchange between Margu and the construction workers added a light-hearted touch to the extraordinary event. The crowd's enthusiasm for Margu was palpable, indicating the respect and affection he commanded within the city.

Rufus, Amala, and Suomi observed the interaction with a mix of amazement and curiosity. The presence of such a powerful individual, seemingly in tune with mystical arts, was both intriguing and potentially valuable for their journey.

As the crowd began to disperse, Margu turned to the trio. His gaze was sharp, piercing through any façade. "You three are not from around here, are you? Especially you" and looked at Amala.

"What gave it away...my grey skin or....my frey skin," Amala answered not amused. 

"Do they also call you people grey skin?" Margu asked

".....yes."

Margu burst into laughter and then looked at Rufus. 

"Such eyes. Old eyes. You are what, fifty, sixty years old?" Margu asked. 

"Fifty-two," Rufus said.

"You have the eyes of that of a king. A great king," Margu said, instantlöy seeing who Rufus was, and continued, "We are honored to have a person of your stature here."

Rufus was taken aback by Margu's accurate assessment of his age and the reverence in his tone. It was clear that Margu was not an ordinary old man but someone with a deep insight and perhaps mystical abilities of his own.

"Thank you for your kind words, Margu," Rufus replied, maintaining a composed demeanor. "But we are here not for honors..."

"Yes I know I know," Margu replied, with Rufus thinking he knew of the mission the old man of the mountain had placed them on.

"Arslan has always loathed humans. They wounded his pride, but he hides this fact by saying how cruel you humans were," MNargus continued. 

"And were we not?" Suomi questioned.

"You were.....But one can not dwell in the past and a god's job is not to keep the descendants of his people who suffered feeling the same way as the ones who suffered under the humans."

Margu then smiled and asked, "Would you care for some food."

"I would LOVE some food," Suomi yelled.