//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Slums // Story: Across The Pond // by Aurora Aura //------------------------------// The morning mist still hung heavy in the air as Twilight Sparkle fidgeted on the deck of the ship she had been living on for three days now. Miram stood beside Twilight making idle conversation but Twilight wasn’t giving her new friend much thought. Twilight noted something being said about a “tasting room” but it didn’t really interest Twilight, she was just anxious to see the city. Ra’Zahmirr finally made his way up from below decks and calmly walked over to Twilight, his slow pace infuriating her. “Come on, come on!” She exclaimed. Ra’Zahmirr didn’t respond to Twilight’s incessant barking as he made his way towards her. Ra’Zahmirr continued to walk past Twilight towards the docks and Twilight rushed to stay on his heels. “Hey!” Twilight called out as she picked up her pace to match Ra’Zahmirr’s. Miram called out a goodbye and went off to presumably start her day’s workload. “Yes, purple one?” he asked pleasantly. “Where are we going first?” Twilight asked as they stepped off of the boat and onto the pier. Twilight noted how busy the docks seemed despite the lack of people. When they had pulled up to the shore they had passed several docking spots that seemed to breathe with life as guards patrolled along the coastline keeping the common rabble in check. These docks were different. They were absent any guards and while there was significantly fewer people the place seemed just as alive in a different way. An undertone of life hidden from those who aren’t permitted to see it. But Twilight could feel it, even if she wasn’t sure what ‘it’ was. The docks weren’t entirely devoid of life. A few more creatures Twilight had come to learn as Khajiit were sitting on benches and staring out to sea and onto the distant horizon. A handful of half size Khajiit, who Twilight assumed were children, ran up and down the docks giggles as shout of “Ma’Jidarr got you!” and “no you didn’t” echoed throughout the docks. Sea gulls milled around waiting for passers by to drop any sort of food. Wooden rails splattered with bird droppings lined the edges of the pier and wooden ramps lead down to floating wooden walkways that would rise and fall with the tide. “We must first visit a colleague in the city so that we might sell what we have collected in crystallized moonlight. After that Ra’Zahmirr wishes to drop off the returns. When that has been done we may travel to the market place.” “Well the sooner we leave the sooner we finish so let’s go,” Twilight started to trot off onto the street but stopped after a few steps. “Uh, maybe you should lead the way Ra’Zahmirr,” she said, grinning sheepishly. Ra’Zahmirr smiled back and walked past Twilight and heading into the depths of the city. They had been walking for nearly two hours yet only seemed to pass about a dozen people, all of whom gave Twilight an odd look though they kept their distance. Ra’Zahmirr made this place sound busy but Twilight would describe it as anything but. Though Ra’Zahmirr had mentioned the city had parts left in ruin, Twilight Sparkle assumed this was that part of the city. The inner city certainly looked ruined to Twilight, in fact, everything they had passed so far appeared to grow out of the sidewalk into jagged points that seemed to lead whomever walked this path someplace specific. Shards of broken glass peppered the cobblestone causing Twilight to gingerly move through the narrow streets. The only inkling of color on the walls surrounding the street came from the lurid graffiti and the sickly green moss hanging wherever nature would allow it to. “Hey Ra’Zahmirr,” Twilight finally said. “What is purple one?” Ra’Zahmirr asked without looking back. “How much longer are we going to be walking through the slums?” Ra’Zahmirr stopped walking causing Twilight to walking into him. “Look ahead Twilight Sparkle, what do you see?” Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof and looked around Ra’Zahmirr. The narrow streets split into a fork but what caught Twilight’s attention was between the two roads was a house that made Twilight think someone was taking the building down and decided to quit halfway through, or perhaps it had simply collapsed under the weight of it’s longevity. Regardless of the reason this grim and gloomy building dominated the area so Twilight assumed that’s where they had been walking. “That’s what we’re doing out here? This city is huge, it’s got to be. Why are your business friends way out here‽” Twilight demanded. “There is an level to this city you have yet to see,” Ra’Zahmirr told her. “Through that house and into the basement is one of several access points to a central hub of buyers and sellers.” “Like a marketplace?” Twilight asked, her slight annoyance now subsiding. “Hmm, not quite. This place is more of a place of peace than anything. There is some trading going on but those who come here do not usually come here for the trading opportunities.” Twilight wondered what that meant but Ra’Zahmirr started walking towards the house and Twilight assumed she’d have her answer soon enough so she didn’t voice her curiosity. They walked up the crumbling path past the unearthly shrubbery and up to the front door. Despite a very large hole being in the wall just to the side of the door Ra’Zahmirr knocked anyway. Seven times his fist hit the door in a steady succession. When Ra’Zahmirr had finished knocking he slowly opened the door, the rotting wooden door creaking slowly and echoing into the long forgotten home. Once they were inside Twilight recoiled in disgust as she was assaulted with a musk that soaked the walls. When she had gotten past the initial shock she noticed the thick carpet of dust and debris didn’t seem to cover the entire floor. There was a clearly identifiable path that started at the front door and lead deep into the house. The break in the dust wasn’t clean by any stretch of the word but there was a clearly visible path left through after constant use by whomever had seen fit to walk through this house. They creaked through the slightly less filthy trail through the half building to a door that seemed entirely out of place. It’s hinges lacked the rust the front door had and the wood seemed sturdy enough to not fall over if you throw too much of your weight on it. Ra’Zahmirr turned to Twilight and knelt down so they were on eye level before whispering. “This place is fairly Khajiit centric. Ra’Zahmirr allowed your persistence to convince him to let you come along because you will be able to pass by. They will not know you can speak, you must not let them find out,” Ra’Zahmirr warned. “Is that why Miram didn’t join us?” Twilight whispered back. “Yes,” Ra’Zahmirr simply stated. “Ra’Zahmirr is taking quite the risk here. Do not ruin this, Ra’Zahmirr shall endeavour to answer any questions once we have left the area. Fair?” Twilight nodded but said nothing. Ra’Zahmirr gave her an approving nod before standing back upright and knocking on this door as he had the front door. There was a moment of pause before the door made an audible click. Ra’Zahmirr then knocked as he had before yet again and opened the door slowly. Behind the solid wood was a staircase that descended into relative darkness. There appeared to be some form of low level light below but Twilight couldn’t be sure. Ra’Zahmirr began the descent. Twilight followed, being careful as she moved down the dark steps. Twilight quickly realized that the entrance was not the most terrible part of this house, if you could even call it that. No, the most terrible part of this house was the dank, humid cellar which exerted the strongest repulsion on Twilight. The air was a mix of unwashed sweat soaked clothes, rotten fruit, and the sour smell of rancid fermented fish. She gagged a bit but keeping in mind her promise to Ra’Zahmirr she stifled it to the best of her abilities. Twilight began to look around for anything to take her mind of the stench. She noticed that part of the cellar was above ground and the low level light she had seen was the sunlight peeking through the few narrow slots that pierced the brick, marking slight windows into the alleyway. Twilight wondered how they could see at all but as the minute passed her eyes were adjusting and she was able to make out slight shapes. Ra’Zahmirr nudged Twilight into a specific direction and Twilight began to walk. She heard whispers but decidedly ignored them so she could focus on breathing as little as possible. Twilight walked forward until she reached what should have been the wall but Ra’Zahmirr nudged her to keep moving, so she did. Twilight did not hit the wall as she had expected, rather, she kept moving forward into some tunnel that had been dug into the walls of the basement. The pathway was angled downward and as they stepping farther into the tunnel the darker it got. They walked for about twenty or thirty feet before Ra’Zahmirr grabbed Twilight, stopping her. The footsteps stopped and Twilight heard the distinct sound of small metal objects jangling together before being inserted into some unseen lock. The door silently opened and Twilight was nudged forward again. They walked for another minute before Twilight started to notice a faint glow and the end of the tunnel. As they moved towards it she was able to discern the light came from behind a shoddy wooden door. Twilight idly thought that perhaps the Khajiit had spent their budget for doors on the first two and they had to take planks from the house above. It was also in the light of the next room that Twilight noticed they were not alone and two other Khajiit had joined them. She also noticed Ra’Zahmirr had been standing in front of her, leading the way, and it was one of the new Khajiit that had been directing her. Twilight wasn’t sure when that shift had happened but she did make a mental note to ask Ra’Zahmirr about it. They covered the distance quickly and as they got closer the murmur of voices grew louder and louder until they sounded more like one of Pinkie Pie’s parties where everypony would steadily get louder and louder as if trying to talk over everypony else. Of course that was never the case. When they got to the door Ra’Zahmirr simply swung it open, not bothering to knock this time. Inside the doorway was several Khajiit lounging on piles of hay that checkered the large cavernous room. There was a bared off desk that also had an official looking Khajiit that handed an unusually shaped bottle of some kind of liquid off to another Khajiit outside the grated desk. The latter then greedily took the bottle to the nearest pile of hay and drank deeply from it. Twilight Sparkle was nudged by one of the Khajiit, distracting her from following the unusual Khajiit. Twilight looked up to see it was, in fact, Ra’Zahmirr who nudged her this time. He motioned with a hand and instructed her to wait by the door. Twilight nodded. Ra’Zahmirr walked over to the desk and began to talk with the Khajiit. Twilight watched as the two bickered back and forth. At one point Ra’Zahmirr pulled a small jar from his pack and handed it to the Khajiit. The Khajiit behind the bars took the jar into a back room for a few minutes though they felt to Twilight like an eternity. The Khajiit did eventually come back out though and it was much before an eternity had passed. The Khajiit nodded and extending a hand to Ra’Zahmirr who took it and smiled at the Khajiit. Ra’Zahmirr said something else before walking back over to Twilight. Twilight wished she could have at least heard the negotiations but she settled on adding it the growing list of things she would ask about once they had made it to the surface. They walked back out the door they had come in through and followed the path back to the streets above them. Ra’Zahmirr shook hands with one of the other Khajiit. The other Khajiit that hadn’t fished Twilight out of the ocean went back into the dank cellar of the house. Twilight and Ra’Zahmirr walked through the silent house and out the front door. During their walk back Twilight questioned Ra’Zahmirr on everything they had just gone through but Ra’Zahmirr was determined to be mysterious. Twilight asked about the area of the city and the location under the broken house. She asked how they came to find such a place. Why there specifically? Ra’Zahmirr didn’t have an answer for those questions so Twilight asked about what was being sold and what the cavernous room had been and Twilight thought she might actually get somewhere with that question since it seemed to excite Ra’Zahmirr to talk about. Twilight didn’t find satisfaction with his reply though, which composed of brief mention of euphoria and lethargy before going into a long and vague pseudo-philosophical speech about pieces of souls of Khajiit gods. That didn’t make sense but Twilight hadn’t given up. Twilight would ask others if Ra’Zahmirr couldn’t tell her what she wanted to know. The walk back seemed shorter to Twilight. When they got to the docks also seemed much more lively than they were before. More boats had moored since they left early morning and crates of varying sizes trimmed the waterfront with few gaps along the barricade to allow passage between them and the docks. “What’s with all the boxes?” asked Twilight. “Supply ships for the city,” Ra’Zahmirr answered. “Fresh fish for the stalls, cloth and jewels and probably a few exotic animals. Perhaps you shall see a few when we make it to the market.” Miram watched as Twilight and Ra’Zahmirr walked down the dock and Ra’zahmirr boarded the ship, leaving Twilight to wait while he talked with the captain. Miram walked off the boat and up to Twilight. “So, how was it?” Miram asked, sounding only half sincere. “Confusing,” Twilight answered. “Well in another five minutes we are heading out but if you want I can do my best to help you figure it out once we’re done for the day. Alright?” Twilight rolled back and sat down, visibly exasperated. However Twilight nodded in agreement to Miram’s proposal. “I know how bad Ra’Zahmirr can be at explaining things sometimes,” Miram told Twilight with a smile. “But for now push it from your mind, it’s not even lunch yet.” Twilight sighed in defeat and smiled back at Miram. “Alright, I’ll try to enjoy the rest of the day.”