"Groooan..."
The sound of bubbles rising from a simmering, sticky liquid, the clinking of metal colliding, and the slimy, slippery sensation felt on hands and feet. Nia opened eyes, stirred by the unfamiliar texture enveloping hands and feet.
Before Nia's eyes, sunlight streamed through a small lattice window, illuminating arms and legs.
Turning head to inspect surroundings, Nia saw a body submerged in a rectangular tub filled with a viscous, translucent blue liquid. A voice came from beside the tub.
"You're awake, Nia."
A figure stood there, wearing a dark brown robe with a deep hood, a small shoulder bag with multiple pouches slung diagonally across it. Embroidered in golden thread on the robe's collar was the emblem of the Trea caravan—a symbol of a wagon connected to a Mooloomook.
"You collapsed as soon as you entered the waiting room." the figure said.
"Ugh… How long have I been lying here?" Nia asked, slowly turning head to survey the room, addressing the man from the Treya caravan.
"Not too long. Judging by the sandglass over there, about an hour or so."
The man replied, operating a machine with rapidly spinning gears connected to the tub.
"It'd be best to stay in a bit longer. The slime from the Narida mushroom needs more time to soak into your body."
Listening to the man's slow words, Nia lifted an arm from the viscous liquid and touched the opposite shoulder. The wounds from being pierced by Doaju's spiked mace were gone. Without pain to guide, Nia couldn't pinpoint the exact spots, but no matter how much the shoulder and arm were felt, the wounds that had marred the body were completely healed.
'The match with Doaju… it's over.'
The excruciating pain that had felt like the entire body was being torn apart was gone. Letting out a long sigh while staring at the ceiling above the tub, Nia leaned back, submerging shoulders once more into the Narida mushroom's slimy liquid.
"Speaking of… Doaju…" Nia murmured.
"Oh, Doaju is in the next room. The wounds were deep, so it'll likely take longer for Doaju to wake up than you."
The man said.
"I saw the final blow you landed on Doaju. Using the force of Doaju's swinging mace, you spun around—whoosh!"
The man flapped his robe, mimicking the move Nia had performed in the match against Doaju.
"Umm… Now that you mention it, I'm starving."
Nia said, looking down at a stomach growling with hunger—the only pain felt.
"Haha, no surprise there. This Narida slime heals wounds but also accelerates your body's regeneration, so it's natural you'd feel hungry. Shall I fetch some food?"
Before the man could stop, Nia rose from the tub and wiped the Narida mushroom slime off with a large cloth on a nearby stand. It didn't take long to don dented, hole-ridden armor and tattered clothes, strap a sword to the waist, and leave the room.
*****
As Nia opened the door, its metal hinges creaking loudly, a burst of intense sunlight hit eyes. Grimacing, Nia closed eyes briefly, then opened them again to adjust to the brightness. The sensation of stepping on resounding wooden planks vibrated through feet. In the distance, a cacophony of countless conversations and the sound of musical instruments reached ears.
Nia stood on the corridor of the topmost floor of a massive wagon. Looking down from a height exceeding 20 cubits(10 meters), Nia saw smoke rising and merchants with packs on their backs bustling through the market. Endless rows of wagons stretched out, with colorful cloths blocking the sunlight, flowing like a vibrant river of hues.
Gazing at the unfamiliar sight of the grand market, Nia descended the stairs winding along the outer wall of the wagon.
Soon, feet touched the ground, and Nia turned to look back at the wagon just descended. Bathed in sunlight, its towering black shadow loomed large. It was so massive that Nia wondered if it could even be called a wagon.
Windows and irregularly shaped doors dotted the wagon's outer walls. Though it swayed slightly in the breeze, looking less than sturdy, the patchwork of differently colored wooden planks revealed the traces of countless repairs over time.
In Ixtarn, buildings of this size were common. Stone structures ten times larger could easily be found. But a movable structure like the Trea caravan's wagon was rare—perhaps the only one of its kind. Imagining the colossal beast, the Great Mooloomook, pulling this wagon across the plains on the outskirts of the grand market, made the sight even more awe-inspiring.
"Nia!"
"Whoa, it's the gladiator Droko Nia!"
"Is that really Nia?"
"Idiot, look at the sword on Nia's waist! It's definitely Nia!"
A group passing by the Octagonal Arena recognized Nia and called out from a distance.
"I'm Nia, alright!"
Nia raised a hand high, waving enthusiastically at the group who had recognized the gladiator.
"Great match, Nia!"
"Thanks to you, I made a fortune! Hahaha!"
One of the group said, shaking a narrow-mouthed pouch tied with a string before heading back into the Octagonal Arena's entrance.
After exchanging greetings with the spectators entering the arena, Nia took a few steps into a wide alley. A scent caught the nose—an irresistible aroma of charcoal glowing red-hot, mingling with sizzling oil.
"That's it! That delicious smell!"
Clutching a hungry stomach with one hand and sniffing the air, Nia quickened pace toward the source of the aroma. Soon, Nia spotted the shop luring the stomach with its tantalizing scent.
Prongpua's Pisk Grilled Fish
The sign, written vertically on a long cloth banner attached to a pole, featured an illustration of a sharp-toothed fish. Beyond the white smoke rising from the grill, Nia saw cat-like anthro Reru fanning the flames with handheld fans, roasting fish skewered over charcoal.
A Reru with spotted fur skillfully flipped dozens of fish, grilling them evenly on both sides. Nia stood at the shop's entrance, watching the scene.
"Come on in, customer! Take a seat anywhere that's open."
Said a Reru with thick, black spiral-patterned stripes, gesturing toward empty seats at the tables.
Nia walked a few steps inside and settled at an empty spot. A Leru tribesman approached to take the order.
"What kind of fish would you like? We only serve grilled fish here."
"Umm… I don't know fish names well… but I'll take two of that fish." Nia said, pointing to the sharp-toothed fish depicted on the banner hanging from the pole.
"Nya!?"
"Nyahaha! You're the first customer to order Pisk fish like that!" the Reru laughed loudly, wiping tears from eyes with the back of hand.
"Then two Pisk fish and something cold to drink."
Nia said, holding up two fingers to confirm, still pointing at the banner.
"Alrighty! Two Pisk fish and for a cold drink… something with alcohol? Or we have fruit juices—pomegranate, lemon, apple, or, hmm, grape juice."
"Hmm… If you have dwarven fireliquor(火酒), I'll take that and some pomegranate juice too."
Nia said, recalling how mixing dwarven fireliquor with fruit juice at an Ikstarn tavern had been delicious.
Compared to human beer or Loathan traditional liquor, fireliquor was strong and quick to intoxicate, but when mixed with sweet fruit juice, the bitterness softened, and the fruity aroma paired well with food.
"Nya! You know how to enjoy fireliquor, customer! I'll bring dwarven fireliquor and chilled pomegranate juice." the Reru said.
Soon after, the Reru returned with a large, elongated plate holding two grilled fish and placed it on Nia's table. Another Reru, with black-tipped ears and fingers, followed, setting down a tall bottle of fireliquor, a large cup of red pomegranate juice, and a smaller empty cup in front of Nia.
"Enjoy your meal!"
"Eat well!"
The two Reru bowed and moved to another table.
"Whoa, these Pisk fish are huge!"
Nia exclaimed, licking lips while admiring the grilled fish on the plate. Fresh off the charcoal, faint steam rose from the fish. Between the dark brown, perfectly grilled skin, white fish flesh glistened, with transparent oil seeping from the skin into the meat.
Nia reached out, placing an arm beside the plate. Even curled on the wooden skewer, the fish was longer than the distance from elbow to fingertips. Smiling with delight at the size of the fish, Nia was about to take a big bite when—
"Almost forgot, customer."
As Nia gripped the skewer and opened mouth to bite into the Pisk fish, the Reru returned, placing a small palm-sized plate on the table.
"What's this?"
Nia asked, setting the fish skewer back down and leaning closer to sniff the small plate.
"It's finely chopped dried fruit. Sprinkle it on the fish—it pairs well." The Reru said.
"Ohh… dried fruit…"
Nia said, picking up a piece with fingertips and tasting it.
"We grill with high-quality kewa rock salt from the salt mines, so it's delicious as is, but you can also sprinkle the dried fruit for a different flavor."
The Reru smiled, raising the corners of mouth, and stepped away.