Whilst Bithi’s initial impressions of the city were filth and grime, once the two had walked a fair distance down the crumbling sidewalk, the scenery began to improve. Much to her delight, it seemed the filth from before had been an extreme, though it was still a far cry from the greenery she had grown accustomed to.

  A city, a real city. Not like the small border town she had visited all those years ago. Back in the grove, the tallest building had been the elders, a two-story wooden hall that boasted enough space for gatherings and celebrations. Compared to the brick-and-mortar monoliths of the city, the elder’s hall seemed tiny. And the two had barely left the slums.

  Bithi shook her head, whilst it was a shock she had expected this much at least. It wouldn’t do for her to be dumbstruck by something as mundane as a building. But as dusk waned and the st vestiges of sunlight began to fade, a whole new surprise awaited the poor little druid.

  So far, Bithi had stuck close to the man, avoiding the stares of the occasional passerby or noisy resident peering out from their balcony. She knew she was out of pce, and her gawking sure didn’t help to hide the fact that she was not a local.

  But she couldn’t help but stare; the buildings were one thing, sure, but everywhere she looked was something new. Of course she had to specute on what some things might do, first and foremost the metal poles with domed tops lined the road.

  She could make out some sort of rounded crystal embedded beneath the dome, but with the dwindling sunlight, she struggled. That was, until the sun finally set and the poles fshed to life with an almost blinding light.

  “Ahh!” Bithi yelped, averting her gaze and blinking repeatedly. The spots that had appeared in her visions gradually faded. “W-What is that? Magic?”

  The man stopped and turned to face her, an amused look on his face. “Magic? It’s a mp log hog; you don’t have mps in the forest?”

  Bithi frowned; of course they had mps in the forest. Oil mps, and they were nearly this damn bright. “I have a name, you know. It’s Bithi.”

  “Bithi. Bathi. What’s it matter? You nature freaks are all the same. Hurry up, and stop gawking at everything, you weirdo.” The man said, waving his hand dismissively as he began to continue down the sidewalk.

  Bithi sighed in frustration. Thoughts of casting a bramble spell onto her staff and knocking some sense into the man rushed into Bithi’s mind, but she ignored them. It wasn’t worth the effort of causing a problem for someone who clearly had no interest in being polite. Instead she opted to stay quiet and appreciate the sights the city had to offer.

  She hadn’t noticed it at first, her focus firmly locked on the strange vehicles passing them by and the neon glowing signs that hung in building windows. She couldn’t sense any magic.

  Of course she could sense her own, a pool of pale green mana circuting throughout her body. But in the air? From the man or the people passing them by? Aside from the occasional spark, there was nothing.

  Unlike the grove, where mana permeated the very air, not to mention the pnts and people, it was scarily absent in the city.

  “Is there no mana here?” Bithi instinctively asked.

  “I said no questions.” The man snapped.

  “Oh come on, it's just one.” Bithi shot. Her patience with the man is drawing very thin.

  The man sighed, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “This is why… Look, Bithi. Firstly, Magic is restricted in the city. Unless you’re an enforcer or one of those damned Magisters. No fancy explosive sparkles within the walls.”

  “But… why?” Bithi asked with genuine confusion. She could understand some magic being restricted, like Eldritch or even Nature. But all magic?

  “Why? she asks. Do I look like I’m paid enough to know why the wmakers do what they do?” The man shook his head as he sighed. “Look, kid. We’re like ten minutes from the embassy, and then one of your people can expin it to you, alright? So no more questions.”

  Bithi nodded; she had hundreds more questions, but it was clear the man would be of little help in any regard. A few minutes passed, and Bithi was deep in thought about the myriad of reasons why the city would restrict magic, none of which she could even remotely begin to side with.

  Where any other person might have simply accepted the restriction of magic, to a druid of the forest, it was like cutting out an entire piece of their life. As soon as she had dropped off the package she was given and completed her mission, she had to know.

  Whilst the elders had instructed her to visit the city to deliver a mission, they had never told her how long she could be gone. ‘What’s a few extra days? I can say I just got lost in the forest… Would they believe that?’

  Deciding on her course of action, Bithi looked up; for the past few minutes, she had been staring at the ground, lost in thought as she walked. “Do you thi-”

  Bithi stopped. The man was gone, and the scenery around her had once again deteriorated. She spun around, searching down for the man. Had he crossed the road or turned down an alley? She had been following the sidewalk without thinking about it; were they not going in a straight line?

  “Good job, Bith…” Bithi groaned. The man was gone, and there was no sign of him returning to look for her. What next, she thought. Perhaps someone else could point her in the right direction?

  Approaching a younger-looking man wearing a ft cap staring at some sort of weird device in his hand, Bithi cleared her throat. “Ahem…”

  The man looked up, his absent expression wrinkled in disgust. “Go away, loghog; can’t you see I’m busy?”

  “I just need directions…” Bithi started before the man interjected.

  “I said piss off, now.”

  Bithi stepped back; looking closer, the man looked far less friendly than she had initially thought and decided not to press any further. ‘Maybe someone else?’

  She tried again, this time with a young woman walking up the steps to a building.

  “Sorry, I have somewhere I have to be.” The woman said so before abruptly entering the building and shutting the door.

  And again with an older man using a cane to walk, much to the same result.

  Just when she was ready to accept her fate and wander the city aimlessly, a boy who seemed just a bit younger than she was approached her.

  “Need some help?”

  Bithi sprang up from the bricked ledge she had sat down on. “Yes! Can you tell me where the… embassy, I think it was, is?

  “Of course I can; I’ll do you one better and lead you there myself.” The boy replied with a wink. He was a charming young man, a little gruff with the stubble that topped his lip, but otherwise he looked trustworthy enough. At least, Bithi thought so.

  “Thank you so much! I was really not looking forward to wandering the city. Why won’t anyone help me?” Bithi asked as she dusted her trousers and picked up her staff.

  “Ahaha, I don’t mean to offend, but druids are bad luck, or at least that’s what they say.” The boy replied as he began down the sidewalk.

  “Bad luck, what? Why?”

  “Dunno, that’s just what everyone says. There was a huge fuss when the council decided to give you all a portion of the city.” The boy shrugged as he cut into a narrow alley. “Come on, I know a shortcut.

  Bithi hesitated for a second but then followed, taking care to step over the trash and questionable puddles that littered the alley. The alley was dark and a bit too narrow for comfort, but she trudged on. A moment ter the alley ended, giving way to a dimly lit yard hidden away between buildings.

  “Are you sure the embassy is this way? I could have sworn I was heading the other way before…” Bithi’s grasp on her staff tightened. Now that she thought about it, the man had been leading her towards the buildings scraping the sky before, not away like the boy had.

  “Uhh, yeah, sure. Come on, we just have to cut through the warehouse, and we’ll end up at the embassy for sure.” The boy replied without looking back.

  Bithi stopped, examining her surroundings. Secluded, dark, one way in and out. The perfect setup to trap someone. Trusting her better judgment, she began to turn around to leave. “You know, I think I’ll find my own way, thanks though.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, a pilr of stone erupted where the alley was, blocking her exit.

  “Booo, told you she wasn’t that stupid.” A shrill voice taunted from her left. Stepping out from behind a dumpster, a ragged girl smirked at Bithi.

  Bithi raised her staff, pointing it at the girl before another voice spoke from behind.

  “Well, still stupid enough to follow Phil this far.” A rougher young voice replied. Whipping around, Bithi aimed her staff at the owner, a burly boy wielding a pipe.

  “What do you want!” Bithi shouted, pivoting back and forth to keep an eye on both.

  “Oh come on, even a tree-kisser like you should get the situation.” This time the boy who had led her spoke, the innocent, charming expression repced with a mischievous grin. “Let’s make it easy, shall we? Drop everything you have, and we’ll let you go without roughing you up. Hate to hurt such a pretty face.”

  Bithi’s eyes darted between the three. She backed up, bumping into the pilr of stone. One of them was clearly a mage, but wasn’t magic banned? No, not the time she needed to focus. One of them was armed; what about the boy? She couldn’t make out any sort of weapon on him, but the same could be said for the girl.

  “I don’t want to hurt you; just let me go.” Bithi bargained; she really didn’t, but what she really didn’t want to do was go against the elders. For as long as she had been able to walk, the elders always found out when she broke the rules. Always.

  The original boy stared at Bithi with a bnk expression before sharing gnces with the other two. All three burst out ughing, the burly boy hunching over with a wheeze. Which only served to confuse Bithi even further.

  “I’m serious, you know! Just let me go!” She repeated.

  “Man, hear that, Phil? A druid doesn’t want to hurt us.” The burly boy said, mocking what Bithi had threatened.

  “You see something new every time with these freaks.” The girl added, finally composing herself.

  “Look, Druid, I'm sure your branches and leaves are very threatening. But let’s make this simple and just drop the bag and staff. For such a great ugh, we’ll let you go with just that.” The original boy offered as he unsheathed a small dagger from behind his back.

  “No. Sorry, I can’t give you this.” Bithi answered, securing the pack on her back.

  “Welp, guess we're doing this the hard—” Before the boy could finish, a torrent of bramble erupted from the ground, lifting him high into the sky. The boy winced as painful magical thorns dug hard into his skin. “What the fuck!?”

  “I’m going to get in so much trouble.” Bithi sighed.