27/03/6242

Altashia as it turned out was an amazingly beautiful city. Its buildings were all made of white, yellow and brown stones, while arches and capped domes of Bronze were everywhere. Its streets were made of stone as well, and every street was filled with people.

But not just humans, oh no. Humans, elves, people with the lower bodies of snakes, and even bipedal dog headed people walked all among each other in a kind of chaotic harmony.

"How are they all here and not fighting each other?" Louise wondered aloud as she and Jordan walked down the hot streets where stalls of stone and wood sold everything from food to jewelry and clothing.

"The Sultan of Khali made it law that no violence between people will go unpunished, regardless of race or status." Jordan responded.

"Khali? I heard you and the captain mention it but, what is it?"

"Ah, I never explained that did I? Rub al Khali is the name of the land itself, not the countries within it. The elven lands are north, the country of Nubia is south and south west, and the country of Khali is to the east. It started as just a single city five thousand years ago, but now is comprised of many large cities and numerous smaller towns and villages. Altashia is one of Khali's cities, while the capitol of Sha-Khali is on the eastern edge of the north east of us most cities that started out as Khalisean have Khali in their name.

"And that was where we were supposed to go for the trading. But now because of the elves and Nubian's having a fight on the water, we have to take the long way?" Louise asked as she connected the dot in her mind.

"That is correct, it's a good thing your memory is good," Jordan said with a chuckle a he stopped outside of a store and hummed for am moment before looking at Louise.

"Is something wrong? Is my hair a mess from the heat?" Louise asked in a sudden bout of nervousness from the way Jordan looked at her.

"No, nothing like that. There wasn't a chance on the ship, but we need to get you some more climate appropriate clothing."

Louise looked round nervously, noticing the variety of clothing around. She was feeling extremely warm from the heat, but it wasn't that bad, was it? "Um, is that really necessary?"

"Yes. It's still the morning, and once the afternoon arrives you'll start overeating, and heatstroke is no joke. This store should be appropriate, come." Jordan said with a wave as he walked into the store before him.

Louise went in a second later, and was surprised doubly. The inside of the building was far cooler than she expected it would be, so much so that she began shivering slightly. The walls were covered in racks of clothing, bolts of cloth, and tables of accessories, and the room itself was lit by a series of lamps on the walls. As she walked further in and looked at the clothing though something became very apparent.

The clothing was all of a quality that only nobles in Halkeginia could afford! Heavy cloths the color of fire, water, grass, the sun and moons. Silks of the same colors and many more! She was used to wearing black and white and occasionally browns and blues in her clothing, for those were the most common in Halkeginia. Reagents and rich nobles sometimes wore purple or reds, but most people simply could not afford them. But here, everything came in almost every color, in cloths of cotton, wool, linen, and silk alike!

"Ah, hello, what can I do for you today?" Came a heavily accented voice from the stores counter, shifting Louise's attention there. Standing behind the counter was who she figured was the stores proprietress, but she was not like what she expected!

The woman had skin that was a dark brown, similar to Kirche Von Zerbst's, but her hair was a dark black and went down to her hips in heavy braids that had bronze rings in them at regular spaces. She was wearing a sash across one shoulder that came down and covered her chest, bright blue in color. Below she wore a pair of dark blue pants that seemed extremely bulky or poufy. The confusing look of the pants however was second in Louise's mind to the first fact.

The fact that the woman was wearing pants! Women only wore pants in Halkeginia if they were a noble who was part of the military of if they were riding a horse. Under no other circumstance did women wear pants yet this woman was wearing them, and almost flaunting them from the way her hips shifted, showing the skin of her waist and belly!

"Yes you can. I need a couple things. First a Sand cloak as my old one is soon to be worthless with its wear," Jordan spoke up in response with a pleasant smile that the proprietress reflected.

"I can do that easily enough. What else?"

"I need appropriate clothing for my assistant here, both regular clothing and a Sand cloak. Her clothing does not suit the climate and we had little chance to acquire her more appropriate attire."

Louise walked over as she realized Jordan was speaking of her, but as soon as she did the Proprietress came around the counter, hips swaying back and forth as she moved, and stopped in front of Louise.

After a few moments she smiled. "Oh you would look just adorable in almost anything!"

"Um, something normal please, and not to, revealing." Louise said unsurely, not liking the way the woman looked at her. It reminded her of when Cattleya forced her to dress up for her.

"Ah, oh well," the woman said with a shrug as she sauntered over to a rack and then looked back at Jordan. "Are you staying in Altashia or going elsewhere?"

"We are heading to Sha-Khali, as it was our original destination. A group of Nubian and elven ships blocked our path."

"Ah I see. You are both Halkeginian then yes? The Nubians have been sending ships all across the sea out of Naboli to harass the elven fleets. If it continued the Sultan may intervene."

"Truly?" Jordan asked, sounding very surprised.

"Yes, along with bandits harassing Vus-Khali and Alkoka, the issues in the sea are disrupting trade." she explained as she looked through some racks. "Let me see, if you shall be heading to Sha-Khali . . . . Ah, these should do!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a bunch of clothes that made Louise gasp. A Pair of sandy colored loose pants, a long shirt and some kind of hooded cloak.

Before she could even complain or request something else Louise was dragged to the back, had her clothing changed and was pulled out. "So, what do you think?" The proprietress said as she pulled Louise in front of a full length mirror held in place by bronze and brass edging that was stylized like blowing winds.

The pants were extremely loose and puffy, wrapped around her ankles by strange wrappings. The shirt was similar to a blouse, but went down to her knees and had a sash around the waist. And the cloak was far heavier than it looked, consisting of a couple layers of cloth that could be shifted and wrapped around her shoulder, head or simply down her back to keep it out of the way. Luckily the proprietress did not force her to change her underwear; otherwise she would have thrown a fit. She had to admit though, while the whole ensemble was strange, it was comfortable and light feeling.

"Um, this is normal clothing, right?" Louise asked nervously, not sure if she should ask for a skirt instead of pants. They were comfortable, but at the same time it felt like a fallacy to be wearing them.

"Of course, you wanted clothing that was non-revealing, and as you are traveling, that is the best anyway. These clothing will suit you well I believe. They should be comfortable, and durable for your travels. The cloak is a must when traveling."

"Oh, I see."

"Is it alright? It's not too tight or uncomfortable?" Jordan asked calmly.

"Um, no it's fine I think." Louise admitted sensing that Jordan was asking because of her noble background. The clothing did feel comfortable though, strangely so even. She just couldn't get past the idea of wearing pants so casually!

"Good, we'll take that, another set for her, and the sand cloak for myself!" Jordan exclaimed as he pulled a money bag out on the counter.

The proprietress's eyes shimmered for a moment as she pulled racks of clothing down and began fulfilling his order. Surprisingly it only took her a few minutes to get everything in order and to take Jordan's money. And as quickly as they had entered they had left the store and came back out into the beating sun.

Immediately Louise noticed a difference. Despite wearing such an amount of clothing she didn't feel as hot as before, and her legs almost felt cool. Before she could say anything though Jordan grabbed part of her cloak and pulled it over her head, covering it from the sun.

"The cloaks are used to protect one from the sun and sand, so it's a good idea to wear it constantly while outside."

"Understood," Louise said with a nod as she wrapped one of its lengths around the front of her face, partly covering her mouth and neck as well. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course," Jordan replied as they began walking down the street again.

"What was her accent? I've never heard of it before."

"Ah. The primary language of the lands of Rub Al Khali is known as Khalisean, and is the main language for Nubia, Khali, and the other surrounding kingdoms. Many traders and merchants know Romalian, Elven and the eastern Moonspeak as well though to better do business. That was a khalisean accent, and just be thankful she knew Romalian, otherwise you would not have understood a word!"

"Is it that strange of a language?"

"Yes it is," Jordan said as he turned and stopped in front of a large yard surrounded by wooden fencing, a sign covered in strange markings sitting above its entrance. "Alright, this is the place. I'll be speaking to them in Khalisean, so you won't understand any of it. Just know that I'm buying us some wagons and draft animals to pull them so we can bring our goods to Sha-Khali, alright?"

"Right. What do you want me to do?" Louise asked, having gotten used to helping Jordan with whatever she could. Sure she still knew she had been a noble, but from being on the boat for so long it had managed to sink in, the idea that she no longer was a noble. The idea that she had to work to survive.

"Nothing right now. This is something there's no need for help with. Just come along and listen, alright?" Jordan said as he strode in with Louise in tow.

The inside of the compound was a massive field with line upon line and rows upon rows of wagons. Some were simple small wagons that a single horse could move, and others were so large they would need entire groups just to make budge.

Then she saw movement and turned to see a dog person with jet black fur walk over to them, fangs bared casually.

"Ah, tahia. madha 'astatie 'an afeal lak alyawm?" The dog person said with a bow, his voice deep and raspy.

Jordan coughed a bit and cleared his throat before replying. "Ahtaj earabat, linaql kamiyat kabirat min alsilae altijariat 'iilaa 'Sha-Khali." Jordan replied, speaking slower.

The dog person grinned, his fans showing even more easily. "Ah, 'astatie 'an 'afeal hadha, nem!" He exclaimed as he gestured for Jordan to follow as he continued to speak.

It was at this point that Louie stopped trying to understand them. The language was so strange she could not make anything out of it. It sounded guttural, but also intelligent. She couldn't understand it, and to even try she would need a book on it. Or multiple books on it probably.

Glancing around as she followed Jordan she noticed many other people looking at wagons and other vehicles. Many of the wagons had wide wheels, and some had Skids or skis on them instead, making them looks strange and out of place in her mind.

That was when she noticed a man in dark robes and cloth leaning against one of the wagons and locked gazes with him. Unsure of what to do Louise simply smiled and gave a little wave, hoping it would be pleasant enough. The man waved back with a smile, but as soon as Louise blinked, he was gone.

Had he been an illusion?

"Alright we're good to go now and . . . Something wrong?"

Louise turned to Jordan and shook her head. "No its nothing. We have wagons then?"

"Yes, they'll be bringing them over to the docks momentarily and are providing workers and animals to pull them as well. Once the goods are on them we'll set out. If we manage to leave before midday we'll make it to the capital, Sha-Khali, in roughly four days."

"And that's where we'll be doing all the trading?"

"No, that's where I ply my trade and begin making money!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

29/03/6242

Louise groaned and opened her eyes, feeling a pounding in her skull and aches across her body. It was dark and cool, and she could not immediately see anything. As she blinked a few times and looked around though she found that she was inside a cave, surrounded by boxes of food, trade goods, jewels and swords.

Louise pulled herself up the wall and looked herself over. Her new clothing was still in good shape, and while her body ached it did not feel like she had been injured.

"But how did I get here?" Louise muttered as she tried to remember what happened as she scratched her head, finding a small bump on the back that was extremely sore.

It slowly came back to her, and as it did she began to become afraid.

They had acquired wagons and set out from Altashia without problem. A day and a half of traveling in however they were attacked by some sort of massive worm and a large group of bandits. The guards fought them but ultimately died. Then the bandits got closer and stopped the wagons. The last thing she remembered was hearing something in Khalisean from behind her, and then everything had gone black.

She had been knocked unconscious, and the bandits must have taken her to their hideout, wherever it actually was.

She had been captured by brigands.

What happened to Jordan though? Or the other workers that were along with them? Were they okay? Were they dead? Was she still alive because she had worth? Because she was a woman that they could toy with?

Louise stopped and took a couple deep breaths, calming herself down just as quickly as her heartbeat had sped up from fear. She needed to be calm, especially as she was a captive. Acting angrily, or violently, acting like a Halkeginian noble would get her killed, and the best thing she could do was stay alive.

She just needed to find out how to do that.

By this time her eyed had gotten used to the dim light of the cavern. Torches sat in sconces on the walls, illuminating the already yellowish stone with orange hues that flickered at random, creating strange shadowy effects on the walls and floor. The weapons she saw were all in crates with their points down, and while some looked in good condition a quick lift of a few told Louise that they were either too unwieldy for her, or simply to heavy or oddly designed. The boxes of jewels looked expensive, mostly cold chains; gemstones held in necklaces and bracelets and the like, and the boxes of food all had Jordan's merchant markings on them.

So the bandits stole their food and some of the other goods, but was that all they were after?

Louise looked around some more, hoping to find something useful. The pile of loose coins had nothing of use, food items would be useless as well in a fight and none of the weapons she could effectively wield or knew how to. Then she looked to the back of the cave and found something strange. Against the back wall was an open chest of jewels and gold, and beside it a table with what looked to be some kind of oil lamp made of brass or gold. It was impossible to tell which with the lighting as it was. No other treasure was near the chest and table though, making it seem odd and out of place.

Walking over to it Louise felt a slight chill as he picked it up, and found that it was very light, clearly not filled with any oil. But why steal an empty lamp? And why keep it separate from the other treasure?

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming shut caught Louise attention, and she turned on the spot and looked to the cave entrance to find a man with all but his eyes covered in black cloth. On his waist was a wide curved sword that sat in clear view.

"Ah, mustayqiza, antazar, wade dhlk 'asifl!" The man exclaimed as he saw Louise, and the lamp she was holding.

"I- I don't understand, but stay back!" Louise warned as she raised the lamp above her head by the handle, hoping that maybe she could hit the bandit on the head with it and daze him.

The man looked at Louise and shook his head, muttering something under his breath as he walked over, hands outstretched.

"I said stay back!" Louise said as she swung the lamp at him, only to miss completely, and hear a crack a second later. She looked down to see that she had swung the lamp so hard she smashed it against the table behind her. It was in pieces on the ground, and its handle still in her hand. "Oh no."

The bandit took a step forward and reached for his sword, making Louise flinch and move back against the table. But then the bandit stopped, and took a step back, his eyes going wide with surprise.

For a second it looked like he was looking at Louise, but then she realized her was looking to her side and turned to her right. From the shards of the lamp a strange bluish green mist was appearing. It rose and swirled for many moments, getting larger by the second, until it was like a tornado of color beside her. She could feel no wind or texture from it as it brushed against her, and just as suddenly as it appeared it flashed and suddenly a man was standing there. He was a large man and was wearing deep green puffy pants with golden bracers on his ankles. Across his chest were odd markings, and his eyes were filled with power while he had a triumphant smile upon his face. He was also very big, with broad shoulders and a slight beard that was cleanly shaped.

He looked at Louise, then at the bandit and shook his head. "fa'iinak ln tadura alshakhs aldhy 'utliq li!" He exclaimed as he waved at the bandit. In that moment the bandit flew backwards into the wall, a sickening crunch coming from his body before he fell to the ground without even a twitch. The man turned back to Louise and smiled. "ldhlk, kayf ymkn 'an 'ashkurukum ealaa tahrir ly?"

Louise just looked at him. The man was huge and with just a wave of his hand had thrown the bandit against the wall! Was he a mage? A mage that could use magic without a wand or staff? And had he come out of that lamp somehow?

"ah, 'ant la tafhum? eaqd la yazal thm!" The man suddenly spoke up as he leaned forward and placed his hand in front of Louise face, then snapped his fingers, making Louise twitch in fear. Nothing happened, and after a second Louise opened her eyes and looked up at the man, seeing an expectant expression on his face.

"So, can you understand me now young lass?" He asked speaking Halkeginian with only a slight accent.

"H-how?" Louise asked in surprise. Just a second ago he was speaking Khalisean, so how did he suddenly learn to speak Halkeginian?

"With magic of course!" he said proudly as he let out a chuckle. "Ah, and before you ask, what I did was I gave you an undertaking of Khalisean through magic. You now can understand what I say, and speak Khalisean yourelf!"

"That's impossible! I've never heard of magic that can do such a thing!" Louise exclaimed.

"Ah but it is not impossible, for I used such a spell just now, otherwise you would not be speaking khalisean at this very moment!"

Louise put her hand to her mouth and carefully muttered a few words, feeling her lips as she did. Her eyes went wide. "Am I going to be unable to speak Halkginain!?" She exclaimed as she looked to the man in worry.

"No, it is simply a side effect, once you go to sleep and wake up, your mind will have total control over it, and you'll be able to understand and speak both languages at will, so fear not."

Louise let out a sigh of relief.

"I have to say though, you were not who I was expecting to see when I was freed." The man said as he looked to the dead bandit and grimaced. "My lamp must have been stolen."

"Um I don't get what you're - you're see through!" Louise exclaimed mid-sentence as suddenly the man's body began to sparkle and she could see through it.

"Yes, I knew this would happen. It was my intention after all," The man said with a warm smile. "I have two things to say before I leave then. Can you do me a favor and bring this to the Sultan in Sha-Khali?" he asked as he dropped a small dagger with a jeweled golden scabbard to the floor between them. "Tell him that Al-Jadim sent you."

"Um, alright, I guess I can do that," Louise said uncertainly. On one hand Sha-Khali was where she and Jordan had been going, but would she really be able to meet with its Sultan? "What was the other thing?"

"You have both done me a service, and will be doing me a favor, for this there must be an appropriate reward. So please tell me young lady, is there some wish you are trying to fulfill that I may assist you with?"

Louise looked hopeful for a moment before shaking her head. "I left Halkeginia because I can't do magic. I was hoping I could maybe find some magic that I could do here in Rub al Khali."

Al-Jadim smiled. "Then I shall grant you just that! Fare well my friend, and may your new magic filled life be bountiful!"

Before Louise could say anything Al-jadim's body sparkled and burst into a glowing mist that then swirled around Louise's body. She could feel a strangely cool warmth across her. She felt something about her body change, something about her clothing change, and something about her very being change all at once. And just as quickly as it started it ended, leaving her alone in the room.

At least she thought she had been alone.

"What in goodness just happened?"

Louise turned around to Jordan standing in the caverns entrance with a khalisean man in blue robes and a sword at the ready. Before Louise could respond though, the man in blue took a step forward and looked at Louise with a hard, nervous gaze. "What has happened is that old Al-Jadim has bequeathed his existence upon you young lady."

"What does that mean?" Louise asked in khalisean, visibly surprising Jordan.

"It means you are now as he was. A Djinn!"