With only some lingering apprehension for Brixaby, Arthur headed into the city.

Just past the wall, he stepped into a busy, crowded, twisting street filled with a multitude of shops — all in different, often clashing colors. Most were strung with banners in eye-popping colors, as if every single one was trying to outshout the other for attention. In addition, some had buskers who would regularly yell at passersby. They in turn had to compete with street performers who used both native skills and card powers to interest the crowd.

It was all overwhelming, like the thickest part of a festival at the busiest, most hectic part of the day. But, as Arthur strode along, his ears ringing with the sounds of all of it and his eyes dazzled by the lights of a performer who had just set off some sort of silent fireworks charm, he had the feeling that this was a normal occurrence.

It was so different from the forest that lay just outside the walls.

And Arthur realized, with a feeling he couldn't quite put a finger on — apprehension? Amusement? Pity? He wasn't sure — that these people were celebrating and yelling and buying and eating less than fifty feet away from where a mega-scourge had killed several oxen and threatened the lives of guards.

They had been separated only by a wall with, by the looks of it, some sort of sound enchantment. Arthur glanced up to see if he could spot any of the guards patrolling the wall from the other side, and found he couldn’t.

Sound and sight enchantments, then.

The people here hadn't known there was any danger at all.

And if that mega-scourgeling had broken through, they wouldn't have been prepared.

It reminded him uncomfortably of Mesa Free Hive. Only they’d been protected by living in desolate wastelands. These people were protected by... what? Ignorance?

He shook his head, and then had to forcefully wave off a vendor who, for some reason, aggressively wanted to sell him wooden beaded jewelry. The woman followed him for a few steps, coming as close as to try to drop a necklace over his head. Arthur ducked and walked away. She yelled at him in another language he couldn't understand.

Increasing his pace, he felt the road slope upward, which likely aided in creating the height of the buildings. He started to wonder if this place had actually been built on a minor eruption cone.

Dragon hives were built from the cones of ancient eruptions — back when the world was more dangerous, and the cones grew so high that some of them touched the lowest clouds.

But, if this was on top of an eruption cone, shouldn't the scourgelings be coming out of the top, and not from the forest?

Stranger and stranger.

The frantic atmosphere lessened a bit as he went up the hill. The crowd grew thinner, and it gave Arthur room to breathe. There were still plenty of vendors, but they weren't nearly as aggressive.

Now he took a few moments to actually take in what the shops were selling... And he found a little bit of everything. Some had clothing, some bits and bobs, others household goods... He even saw one or two cards for sale, securely locked behind enchanted glass, and runes that probably fed into security card anchors.

He paused anyway to get a look at them. Both were Commons.

Perfect Apple Honey Butter Every Time

Skill

Common

The wielder of this card will be granted the supernatural ability to create apple honey butter. Using mana, the wielder will be able to create apple honey butter with unusual ingredients.