The glare from the morning sun was growing steadily brighter as we landed at the edge of the forest preluding our destination.

  As the trees opened up, they revealed a vast expanse of flat ground leading up to the mountains.

  It was a whole city built into the side of a cliff, with an exhaustingly long staircase carved to the entrance.

  I could only marvel at the location and walls that could even be perceived from this distance.

  “There. That’s The Indestructible City.” Flash points.

  “It doesn’t look that indestructible to me.” Gale starts saying something stupid again, and I have to slam my fist down on his neck. which doesn’t even interrupt it.

  Now I constantly need blunt arrows so I can always reach his head before he says stupid things.

  Flash and Snow were riding the two dragons that found them quite contentedly, yet somehow I got stuck with this comparatively silent and grumpy Wart character on Gale.

  “The dragons have to wait here.” Snow states, courageously patting the happy dragon carrying her.

  That made sense. No one had any complaints except for Gale pouting over it.

  Unfortunately, we have to pull the cart of goods the rest of the way.

  “Please don’t tell me we have to pull this up all those stairs.” I beg.

  “Well, if you want to get it over with then we should start now, right?” Flash began and paused for a few more seconds while everyone was cracking up over it... “Alright, I’m just kidding! No need to get that look on your face. Obviously they have an elevator for stuff like this.”

  That was such a relief, I can’t believe I thought for a second they would really make people drag carts up all those stairs.

  It was easy for the dragons to laugh because they wouldn’t have been the ones that had to do it.

  Regardless, we marched towards the city in front of us.

  “Isn’t this cart of stuff way too small to be worth the trip?” I observe. How could it be worth it to come all this way just to deliver this much?

  “The cart is designed to be stealthy and fast, and it just doesn’t work that well if it gets too heavy. It’s already dangerous enough to travel without bringing anything.” Flash answers.

  “That’s going to change soon...”

  I wasn’t sure what else to say. It was going to change. It might have already changed.

  “What’s with the strangely shaped bow?” Wart finally said something while staring at the bow around my body, and it wasn’t a question I expected.

  “Someone gave this to me, so I don’t know what it’s called exactly. But it turned out as strong as my usual longbow.”

  “Why does it matter how strong a bow is, they’re only really useful for hunting and that’s it.” Flash questioned.

  “...You don’t even use them for defense?” I ask in a surprised tone.

  Snow fashions a disbelieving look as she points to one of the plain, uncurved bows they held.

  “We only bring these in case we need to hunt at some point. What good are they for defense when the arrows just bounce off dragons.” She points and shakes around the bow she was holding like a piece of garbage. “Maybe if it was a crossbow, but those are expensive and take forever to reload.”

  “Why don’t you make a better bow then?”

  “It’s not worth trying to improve something that shows no potential.”

  Hearing bows be degraded so much was almost physically painful.

  “But these can go right through dragon scales. I even sent one of those ‘swamp dragons’, as you call them, straight to hell with this bow.”

  “What?! You would be just as famous as the Dragonslayer if you managed to prove that!” Flash interjects loudly before reflexively silencing himself.

  “That’s another long story you probably don’t need to hear right now. But given your... circumstances. I don’t think that title would be pleasant for you.” Snow jumped in right after to explain.

  Indeed, that wasn’t the most pleasant thing to imagine being known for. But I had no doubt that it was probably a great feat here.

  Every step took the immense fortress ahead closer and closer—more specifically to a large elevator built onto the side that lifted an entire platform up to the ledge.

  We took position on the lowered elevator before it started moving up with a sharp jolt.

  I wobbled with awe at the sensation of whatever this would be called. Weightlessness? Gravity?

  “I can’t believe you consider this an experience when you get to fly on dragons every day.” Flash mentions.

  “That’s different.” I huff.

  As the top comes into focus, a complex system of pulleys and ropes come into view as they spin to heave the platform closer to the top.

  The air was fresh and humid, likely from the waterfall that was audible not far from the city itself.

  I looked around at the first people we saw upon leaving the elevator. The guards wore leather armor with spikes sprinkled on.

  The purpose of said spikes was something I wasn’t quite smart enough to figure out at a glance.

  No one seemed to care about us entering with weapons.

  Either because it wasn’t a problem or maybe it was just too much of a hassle to store and keep track of them.

  When we finally passed through the walls, the other side was by no means a perfect city, but you could call it bustling.

  Even in this state and with dragons that acted as monsters, humans still made a city the likes of this.

  The back of the walls were lined with huge machines that looked like ballistas.

  At least I hope I was right, because I only knew what those were because some folks obsessed with history built a few back home.

  They were simply impractical, but I suppose they must be the only way these people believe they can fight back.

  Focusing forward, I would get lost if I didn’t follow the group, so I made sure not to let my attention veer too far away.

  They led me to a market where the surroundings turned into stalls. It seemed only the extraordinarily successful afforded entire buildings.

  “I’ll go visit the city clerk, you guys stay to sell the goods.” Flash says abruptly and flies off.

  “Leaving us with the boring job?! You prick!” Snow yells in a grating voice.

  How boring could it be?

  Well, it turns out it can be very boring when not many even want to buy, or spend ages trying to haggle the price down.

  It wasn’t really my responsibility, and I got distracted when I saw a group shooting bows at targets.

  Naturally, that was where I wanted to be.

  It only exacerbated my desire when I saw they were betting currency.

  So I snuck myself in after it looked like their current ‘round’ was over.

  “This looks like an excellent place to hustle!” I grin menacingly.

  “Well if you wanna be hustled, it’s your call, strong lady. Ol’ Drunkshot' here hits the inner ring even while swimming in booze!” One of the older men sitting in a chair replies.

  He looks rich enough if the clothing quality is any indicator.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Then sign me up!” I blurt out without thinking about how I literally had no money.

  “Well what’re you gonna stake?”

  Damn.

  “My bow.” I unsling my favorite bow from my shoulder and hold it out for inspection.

  “What’s special about it?”

  This again...

  I look back at the targets.

  The targets themselves are most likely straw or hay, but there was still a relatively thick wall of wood behind them.

  “Watch.”

  I demonstrated with an arrow flying straight through the wooden wall, only barely getting snagged by the fletching of the arrow.

  As expected, they could tell it was special just from the powerful sound of the impact.

  Though I didn’t get to use it, and had to share the normal bow to take part.

  The spectating fools bet so much on this drunkard that I couldn’t stop smirking.

  Even when the drunkard somehow hit right outside of the bullseye with every arrow.

  When it was finally my turn, I chose not to hold back on showing off. I just hit the eye of a charging dragon, like hell am I losing to some random amateur stuck in a bottle.

  The spectators were snickering as I picked up all three arrows at once as if they thought I must be making some kind of joke. I’ll show them a joke, alright.

  As soon as I steadied and let out a breath, all three arrows whistled out in succession in a single second.

  I’ve long mastered holding three arrows in the draw hand, and that’s not to mention that this feeble little stick they called a bow is nowhere near my usual draw weight.

  All three arrows perfectly lined up inside the bullseye, forming a straight vertical line on top of each other.

  The urge to laugh at their gaping awestruck faces was getting too much.

  I thought I wouldn’t make it, before I finally received my small bag of silver coins.

  “Now that’s what I call a hustle!” I cackle like a witch as I leave them destitute of their bets.

  I don’t even have anything to spend it on, but I found a more well off looking stall selling spices on the way back to the group, so I decided to use a coin to acquire another small bag of the spiciest thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.

  It was seriously stronger than anything I’ve heard about back home. At least not without having to dump a desert of it in.

  When I found the group, the cart was almost completely empty by then, and Flash was present.

  He was holding a very special-looking piece of paper that everyone seemed excited over.

  Other than Wart, who seemed to stay silent but still glaring at it. Still as creepy as ever.

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “The clerk apparently has a family member back in our city, and he wants us to bring a piece of jewelry they made the next time we come back. This is the trade bond for it!” Flash presents joyously as if I’m supposed to know what that means.

  Snow smacks his hand away instead, “Stop that right there, let me explain the complicated parts before you mess it up.”

  “Travelling from city to city is always a risk, so to promote travel, a trade bond guarantees you get the reward listed by the bond even if they don’t need what you bring by the time you arrive.” She explains in his place.

  I look closer at the paper and notice the special features.

  At the bottom of the page there was a wax seal resembling a dragon being impaled by a ballista-fired spear. That brought on a faint discomfort and pang of sadness, but it was understandable given the circumstances.

  Part of the seal design was interrupted with a rectangle and a collection of dots punched into its area.

  There were also slits cut into the left side of the paper and two groups of letters at the bottom which resemble an older numerical system.

  That I recognize it at all was saddening, because it really meant most of their development for all of these years has been so stagnant that what is modern for them is historical to us.

  I push through my thoughts and ask about these special areas.

  “Those are the security features,” Snow begins, “The cut slots and dots on the seal match the digits of the price to make it obvious if someone tries to change the amount.”

  “But what if they just change the marks too?” I put forward.

  “That’s what the characters at the bottom are for. The details of the bond are combined into a sum to be printed on the document.” Snow answers. “If you changed anything, they would know.”

  It was remarkable that humans could still come up with such ingenuity even while living like this.

  We just had to make the hour long trip back to the forest, and be thankful we didn’t have to use the stairs...

  As I expected,Gale and the pair were waiting for us when we reached the treeline.

  Flash and his group still don’t take it well when Gale suddenly rushes to welcome me.

  “Field! I was so bored!” He exclaims obnoxiously.

  “Stop scaring them.” I order him away.

  “I’m not scaring them, they just get scared by a lot of things. And they aren’t even scared.” Gale denies and continues trying to nuzzle my body.

  I really want to throw the spice I bought in his face, but I know how painful that would be and manage to suppress the urge.

  “That’s enough, I don’t want to waste the rest of the day being pushed around for fun.” I grumble.

  The others get to climb up on their own, but Gale still likes to just grab me and lift me up himself while taking the time to play with how light I seem to be.

  Flash and Snow both just watch in shock that I just let it happen without any complaining.

  I can read the silent question behind their eyes and let out a sigh.

  “You don’t have to worry about grabby dragons like this. It’s a special thing. Gale just didn’t grow out of acting like a hatchling.”

  “I grew up faster than you! Stop telling people that!” Gale fusses as he starts moving back the way we came.

  Just like that, the day was almost gone.

  Even flying at maximum speed it was probably a miracle to arrive before dark.

  Once again, the dragons had to stay behind.

  “I’m not staying here in boredom!” Gale sulks jealously, “You go spend the night in the city or something.”

  I can tell he wants to see what it’s like, but it’s obvious they definitely don’t want to see him showing up.

  The dragons just up and leave like it’s nothing.

  “It’s not like we’re here to have fun.” I mumble under my breath.

  I could faintly hope they get put to grueling work and learn how much easier just waiting a short while doing nothing would have been.

  We were still a short walk from the edge of the forest, but Wart was the one pulling the cart and he seems to be falling behind.

  Neither Snow nor Flash look like they’re being attentive to the cart following farther than usual.

  But I wasn’t slow to see him pull a bow from the now barren cart.

  What the hell?

  It was made obvious what he was doing when he was aiming for Flash’s back.

  I was the one with a weapon, so I’m not quite sure how he chose to go for Flash first.

  But he aims like a snail and doesn’t know I’m watching him, so I have plenty of time to act.

  “Watch out!” I yelled at the targeted pair, but they dash in an unhelpful direction and look around expecting a dragon attack or something similar.

  Wart definitely made sure he was far enough away to curb a melee rush, but I can still see his form, and with how slow he’s aiming I already know the path his arrow is destined.

  But stopping it is another matter.

  I don’t have a shield. Flash is too far ahead to push out of the way. It’s not going to miss.

  But it’s a plain bow that undoubtedly shoots slower arrows. There’s only one way.

  I raise my hand in preparation and tense up in anticipation for what feels like the longest few seconds of my life.

  Eventually, Wart relaxes and lets the string slip past his fingers.

  The arrow flies true to the path I expected, and from this distance I have just enough time to react.

  I make a sharp jab at the air and snatch the flying arrow just before the fletching escapes my reach.

  Flash and Snow look shocked without any time to process what’s happening, and Wart also looks surprised but also angrily busy preparing another shot.

  There’s no way I can do that again. It required knowing the trajectory in advance and a perfect reaction.

  As soon as I get my bow ready, I return his arrow to him.

  I was aiming for his hand, but he moved, and the arrow whizzed past, cutting his bowstring instead. It made it look far more impressive of a shot, though.

  “What the scorch, Wart?!” Snow screams frantically and rushes to pummel him.

  He was unprepared for it to get this far, so pummelled he got, while Snow repeatedly screams “Why?!”

  “The company was always supposed to be mine!” Wart retorts with a delusional greed. “The stupid bastard getting himself killed to find a dead person, and you dying trying to save him, that’s how it was supposed to be! Then I could just tell those damned lizards the forest dragons got the bow bitch.”

  He yells back and finally punches Snow off, either purposefully or coincidentally in the way to block my next shot.

  I can’t believe I can’t shoot this scum right now. I knew something was off!

  He grabs the arrow he dropped on the ground after being tackled and stabs Snow in the leg with it, dashing away after grabbing the sack of coins from the cart.

  I shoot perfectly at his back while he tries to flee, but he swings the sack of coins just in time to deflect it, leaving a small gash for a fraction of the treasure to spill out.

  “Are you alright?” Flash questions the Snow that just had an arrow cleanly stabbed through her leg.

  This was more than enough of a distraction for that guy to escape, it wasn’t worth a futile chase.

  “This is nothing. We lost most of the money! He even took the drawing I made.” Snow states. “I really wanted to show everyone what the dragons looked like so they had something to build trust on.”

  “I don’t think they want to accept that dragons can think...” Flash sighs, “...even if they believe these ones are completely innocent it means the rest don’t care about being monsters.”

  “And what’s so bad about that? Doesn’t it just provide a reason to accept the offered revolution?” Snow grins. “But damn, now I have to redraw everything!”

  After recovering what was left of the profits scattering the ground, we were finally back on track to their home city, this time with one less member than expected.

  “Thanks for saving us like that.” Flash beams with some strange look of admiration. “I guess you could say... You thwarted him.”

  “Shut up.” I cringe.

  78

  Multiply by 3 or some other value to prevent differential analysis. (EDIT: This doesn't really work well either, it's better to simply salt the sum with a secret derived from something dynamic, like time)

  78 is the checksum to print on the document. If you change anything, such as the reward amount, the checksum will be different. The weights are private secrets both cities know and have exchanged beforehand; they can be rotated regularly as long as they share the same weights.