The War of the Roil: The Knight and the Warlock

Chapter 10: The City of Devils

Lara was sure about one thing: The Emryds really, really liked their stone.

She and Gammond were stuck in a carriage together. Lucia had gone off her separate way to her own lodgings within the city. And while Gammond occupied himself by reading up on the latest happenings in his country via a near daily almanac, Gammond called a 'news pamphlet', Lara spent that time looking out into the city of Imryt.

Imryt was the original city-state from which Emreth emerged after the Great Collapse of the Ansam Empire.

Thousands of years of history never before available to the Atrellian public resided within this land.

When Lara had gone through the Ash Rim, she saw just how active the mountains were. They spewed out a constant cloud of ash that blocked out the sun most days. Sometimes, ash and embers would even fall from the sky. Lightning would generate within the clouds as well.

Due to the habit of their forests often catching on fire, the Emreth seemed to have forsaken wood as a reliable architectural material, conserving it for shipbuilding according to Lucia.

Every building within the city was made of stone or clay bricks. Infrastructure throughout the city was made from the same black metal that the Emryd soldiers wore for armor.

"Gammond?"

"Hm?"

"What is that black metal exactly? And why do the Emryds have so much of it?" Lara asked, genuinely curious.

"It's called Smith's Bone. But the technical scientific term is Black Steel."

"We don't have 'Steel' where I'm from." Lara grimaced.

"Long ago, the ancestors of the native Emryds discovered that putting the bones of their enemies or animals into their iron metal made it stronger. We now know that this is a combination called steel. It's an overall more effective metal than iron. Black Steel prevents rust, allowing us to reuse the armor." Gammond said, "However, in weapon crafting, we use this material called Living Steel which- sorry...I'm rambling."

"No, it's alright. I should think a Flerisher with control over metals would be an expert on them." Lara waved her hand dismissively.

"On the topic of apologies, I'm also sorry for that night at the river. Not for what I said, but for how I said it. I made an error in my logic, thinking forcing you to kill someone would magically make you okay with it." Gammond said sheepishly.

"I forgive you. I know you were just thinking of my well being." Lara gave him a smile, "You're pretty selfless for an Emryd, you know?"

Gammond raised an eyebrow.

"No offense..." Lara broke eye contact with him.

"One thing to learn if you plan to stay here is that where you're born, who you're born to and how you're born doesn't dampen your ability to be selfless or selfish. I will admit, though, that sometimes we can be hypocritical when it comes to the Atrellians. We don't really mean it. Or at least, I don't. That being said, most Emryds believe selflessness is a lie. I don't myself, but I understand their perspective. And thank you."

"What do you mean Emryds don't believe in selflessness?"

"From a certain perspective, every action is selfish. Sacrificing yourself or your time or giving of yourself may just be an act done out of a desire to gain some kind of significant meaning to one's life or because doing so makes them feel good about themselves."

"So you all just focus on yourselves?"

"For the most part. But that being said, no Emryd I've met really thinks self interest is a bad thing. We still do things for one another. But on a far smaller scale."