The smoke wasn't as near as I had initially thought. It was much further out and much larger.
From the first mountain, it took ten days to reach the column of black smoke. On each ridge I went over, I thought I would find something, but that wasn't the case.
As I finally crossed another ridge and looked down where the black smoke was coming from, there was a large settlement in a valley. Most structures were constructed of metal. It reminded me of Undercraft, except that it appeared much rougher in terms of craftsmanship.
There were hundreds of beastkin moving about. I scanned the overall Mana amounts and tried to pick up on their status at a distance. Most were around level 20 or 40, which matched the levels of a human settlement.
Now the question was what to do? I couldn't just walk in. I heard movements off to one side and looked over.
A heavily wrapped-up beastkin with a pack had come up on the ridge and was looking at me.
My Danger Sense wasn't triggering. They weren't a threat to me, but they could raise the alarm. It wasn't obvious that I was human wrapped up like I was.
"An outsider? What clan are you from?" the beastkin asked.
Based on their size and voice, it was probably a guy. I didn't know what type of beastkin without seeing their facial features. They were wrapped up the same way I was.
"I am a traveler," I replied, not sure what to say exactly.
"Outcast?"
"Lost. A dungeon entrance put me in a place far away. I am looking to trade cores for food and other supplies. I don't want any trouble."
"Your accent… Wolf clan?"
"I would rather not answer."
"Bear clan?"
"Much further away."
"The only other clans I know are mine, the Fox clan, and then the Cat clan, which is more varied. But we rarely get someone like that all the way out here at the End Of The World."
"That's the town name or this place's name?"
"Both. I guess this place could be called the Last Settlement at the End Of The World. The only thing beyond is some more mountains and the Great White Expanse."
"My name is Justin."
"Weird name, I am Gartooth of the Fox Clan."
"Do you need Mana cores? And will you trade for food?"
"We all need Mana cores to heat our homes and our gardens. But food is expensive, so we have little. Mostly mushrooms and a couple of vegetables. Grains, meat, and fruit are insanely expensive. But you might afford them, though that will draw attention."
"I would prefer to deal with you, if possible."
"Even if you are an Outcast, you will find no trouble with me."
"How much would a red core buy?"
"A fist worth of food."
I wanted to curse. They might use the Eldarin language, but they didn't use the standard measurements of the College.
"How much is a fist worth of food?"
"An adult could live off it for a week."
"That long? Are Cores worth that much?"
"The dungeon is harsh, and this is the lowest food. The quality isn't great. It is only what an adult needs to survive."
I slowly nodded. "You don't use coins or metal for trade?"
"Not the regular folk. Only the elites and the clan council use such things to trade with other clans. Surprised you don't know this."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Just confirming how things are. Wouldn't want to make a poor assumption. What about orange cores?"
"Five fists worth of food, or a tenth of a fist of something better. But orange cores would draw attention. Anyone can go into the dungeon, but very few can bring back such wealth."
"Any legends I should be concerned about or show respect to?"
"Not unless you want to swear to them. How much are you looking to purchase?"
"A lot. You will probably run out of food before I run out of cores. I have been in the dungeon for a while, and I plan to go back. I don't want to get caught up in the politics of this place."
"You don't look like you have much."
"I have them," I replied and reached into my cloak where I hid my spatial pouch. I pulled out an orange core. "Consider it a thank you for answering my questions and to get things moving to purchase food."
I tossed over the core. Gartooth caught it and brought it close to his covered face.
"A real orange core, huh? Well, if you want to make an enormous deal, then Whiteclaw is the one to talk to. Come on."
"What were you looking for up here?" I asked as we descended a path towards the settlement.
"I was going to go out metal prospecting for iron. The mountains are full of the stuff. It's what we used to build and for weapons."
While they might have a handful of legends, they were clearly lacking in every other way.
Making use of Mana cores efficiently required an industrial chain. It looked like they were using them at their most basic for enchantments that created heat and light. The settlement was between two enormous mountains. It wasn't a valley or a canyon, but something in between.
We said nothing else as I went to a larger building near the outskirts that people built on the side of the mountain. The poorer individuals lived higher up. I noticed the black smoke was coming from a large building in the center of the settlement.
“It's Gartooth. Got a visitor and guest for Whiteclaw," my guide said while knocking on the metal door.
I heard bolts sliding out of the way, and the door opening. There were two beastkin, probably around level 60, so professionals with swords.
"Who is that?"
"Justin, here to speak Whiteclaw. Orange cores for food."
They gave me a look, while Ozy remained concealed beneath my cloak. My skills blocked their ability to check my status. No one said anything for a couple of seconds.
"Shut the door; you will let the heat out and come inside," a voice called out.
The two guards moved out of the way, and I entered. There was an old beastkin. Their white fur was patchy, and they had an eyepatch over one eye. The other eye was dark red.
I felt my Danger Sense grow and put my hand on the pommel of my sword.
"You attack; I won't hold back."
"Just wondering how a human ended up here."
The other beastkin recoiled and looked at me like I had murdered their families.
"A little side trip through the dungeon," I replied tensely while I was ready for a fight.
"A human…but they are real?" Gartooth asked.
"Foolish cub. Of course they are real. Clearly this one got moved by the dungeon and found a passage the clans don't control. You want food?"
"Yes."
"It won't be cheap. It wouldn't have been cheap before, but dealing with a human comes with risks."
"I will pay, but I won't let anyone trick or attack me."
"Hah, then we can do business. You show Gartooth to the canteen and then guard the door again. And keep your mouth shut. You with me in case this Justin tries anything."
I followed Whiteclaw to the back room with the guard always standing behind me, which kept me on edge.
Whiteclaw took a seat behind a metal desk, while the guard stood in the doorway. I sat on a cold metal chair. "So, how are you paying? Cores?"
"Yes, orange," I said and pulled one out and set it on the metal desk. I also carefully removed my hood and face covering. Whiteclaw looked at me and then picked up the orange core.
"Low quality, but orange. I would guess 11th layer most likely. We deal in fists of food. For an adventurer, you will go through a fist in about a day. Five can buy you one fist."
"That little," I said with a frown.
"That much. If others find out I am dealing with a human, it will cause trouble, and I will become an Outcast, sentenced to freeze to death."
"Why the hostility? Beastkin can live on the Eldarin Continent without fearing for their lives."
"It was the war we had with the Eldarin Empire that caused this. Our home wasn't always this bad. It was cold, but not this desolate hellscape you see now."
"What? But there is no mention of that!"
"It wasn't a large force, but there were several legends. The goal was to subjugate this land through force to serve the Eternal Emperor and whatever his plans were. Well, we beastkin fought. Fought to the bitter end."
The old beastkin sighed heavily before shaking his head.
"It is ancient history. Who knows who was right and who was wrong. Regardless, the war decimated much of our land. Since that time, no human has been welcome."
"What about the Elves and dwarves?"
"Grouped with you humans. And I am a business fox at heart. The End Of The World is a dying settlement. Beastkin here are too stubborn to go to the coasts. They don't want to swear oaths to others. I don't have the luxury of carrying old grudges. Now, Mana cores — well, those can power enchantments to produce more food and heat our homes. That doesn't mean I won't gouge you on the price."
It was twenty-five times the price Gartooth quoted me, and that was probably already high. It was time to stock up as much as I could before I left. The risk of running into hostile beastkin was high.
"That is quite high from what Gartooth told me."
"You need to move, and you won't get anyone else willing to deal with a human. Even if people don't know the reason behind the old grudge, they won't care. Or you can try your luck. You seem skilled, but I doubt you could defeat the more powerful beastkin in this settlement."
I didn't like being robbed like this, but it was all about supply and demand. Whiteclaw had the only supply, and I had an immense demand for food. There was nowhere else I could go.
"If you don't have that much, there are alternatives."
"Like what?"
"A dungeon entrance you came from."
"Can't anyone go down the one in this settlement?"
"Yes, but they must pay half their cores as a settlement tax. Having another entrance, an unknown entrance, would be quite valuable."