"I'm thankful you've shared all this info with us. We don't get muews from the outside, and given our retive youth as a try, our knowledge of the world is quite g. However, as you've been so open with us, I feel it fair to be open with you. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I've been the only one asking questions so far after all." I say, while l my shoulders to try to rex myself somewhat.

  "I do have a few questions, so if you're I'll ask them. I apologize if this is blunt, but why aren't you like the other demons, which ravage the nd and spread destruultiplying as you go?"

  "Well, I 't speak to that, but Zaka might be able to. He was the only demon who arrived here. From him, the rest of us were created."

  I nod, to Zaka, pleased that for once, I won't be the one answering all the questions. Of everyohough, Shasta is having to do the most talking, since she is transting for both sides.

  "I came here many years ago. All of us demons fled our homend which was ravaged by famine. With little food and cramped space, we were at sea for weeks. I won't say exactly what had bee of us, but as time passed, fewer and fewer of us remained on the boats we set out from. Not long from when I nded here, we were beset by a storm, and the rope which tied our boat to the others snapped. Iorm's wake, the others were thrown from the boat, and I was the only oo arrive here on the isnd. Thankfully, the food here was easy to catd plentiful, so I replenished my strength, aually gaihe ability to summon more of my kind. I was young when I was forced to flee my homend, so I wasn't fully aced to our culture, which is probably why I lived differently thaher demons. Within the culture, I say that most sidered it honorable to eat those you defeat, although I disagree."

  "Fasating, so you were an outlier yourself. Although that doesn't fully expin your rapid development here on the isnd. What has caused you to develop a society in this form so quickly?"

  "I 't take credit for that, Zakarus here is the reason we've e so far. Whe him, we were living in little more than stick huts, subsisting day by day."

  Elora turns to face me after Shasta transtes, "So, how exactly did y about this rapid development?"

  Well, this is awkward, I suppose I'll have to phrase things iingly. I didn't mind sharing with Zaka ahat I have memories from a past life, but letting that out of the bag here might be detrimental.

  "Well, I get these vivid ideas and designs in my head and follow through with them. There are more than I work on at any point though, so we're always busy. I'm thankful that we have an increasing number of individuals capable of handling more and more of the work that needs dohough. In the few years we've been here, we've finally got some windmills up, which is where we're milling flour and making paper. I'd like to get a few more up and going in the year, to help with more produs of goods. Felt and wool, for example, would be useful soon whe more bargas in our herds. There are a lot of gaps iails that I have to figure out along the way though."

  "That's quite the uuation, although you seem to be doing good with your knowledge. What are your end goals?"

  My end goals? I haven't really thought of that in a long time. Years ago, my goal was just to survive. Then it was making life safe and easier. Now? I'm not as sure as to what it might be. "I don't kly, but I think tinuing to improve our quality of life and productivity is first. Our nd sists of a handful of isnds. To be safe, we o be well developed to disce tries like Rathnd from interfering with us. Ideally, I'd just be free to really discover details of how reality works. Magic fasates me, and there are lots of details about how things work that I have no idea about, but I'd like to."

  "Yes, well, we all do like solving mysteries... If you find anything iing, we might be ied."

  "I'm always more than happy to take in someone who's able to help us in exge for free access to what we're doing. We already have a dwarf here who does bcksmithing, and we would always appreciate experts in other fields."

  "I see, well, I might just see if we have aerested in a short stint here on this isnd. I do presume here is where you are talking about?"

  "Yes, here is where I'm talking about. We're currently not taking unskilled bor, so if you pn on sending someone, I was serious about them needing to be skilled in some field, and we already have a smith. Outside of that though, what will it cost to get some of those pnts that eat dead matter? Preferably both some for eating, and the spores to grow new ones with?"

  "Hmmm, I suppose we discuss those now. We're always looking for salt, we don't need as much as the other races, but it is a nice seasoning for food. We also have certaial products we could use, but we'll also hem made for us, as we don't do much smithing of our own. We do have some smiths, but it's much less on. They'd be pretty basic things though, swords, arrowheads, bolts, that sort of stuff."

  "Yes, robably arrange for both of those for trade. It sounds like it'll be quite the long trip for you though, will it be two years or one before you return?"

  "I believe that someone representing us should retur year. I'll be staying at the Dwarven Isnd for a few weeks before I return to my homend, mostly for appearance reasons. If in those few weeks we get those trade goods shipped to our isnd, that would make things work. Do you want some of each kind of our pnts?"

  "Yes, a few of each of the pnts that break down dead anic matter would be ideal. How much will that run us?"

  "Well, all things sidered... Two barrels of salt... a thousand arrowheads... two dozen swords of our design, which I produce a rough draft of... and four hundred bolts? Does that work for you?"

  Its steep, but sidering they're handling the shipping, its probably worth it, although I'll have to help smelt the metal for a lot of it.

  "As long as you're alright with cast arrowheads and bolts, it should be possible. If not, we'll o e up with some reement."

  "Cast should be fine. Any other discussions today for us?"

  "I'd love to hear details about other nations, but I'm afraid our transtor is probably getting exhausted handling all this, so we should call it for today."

  "Very well. I'll look forward to our future talks."

  After Elora left the room, Shasta let out a long sigh. There are dozens of papers covered in writing scattered around her.

  "I knew going into this it was going to be a lot of work transting all this, but could you at least let us take a break in the middle ime? That was too exhausting."

  "I'm just impressed that you mao handle all that so readily. As pensation, I'd like to send you back to your isnd with a bunch of bnk paper."

  "Well, I was just doing my job, but having spare paper will definitely make some of my work easier. We have to be pretty servative with our materials oher isnd, so having spare paper of my own will be nice..."

  "Then please, take it. I'll make an airtight stone box you take back with you, and you just break it apart when you get there. That should protect the paper from any water damage on the ship at least, but humidity on your isnd might end up being an issue long term. Oh. Before I fet, how are the two goblins doing at learning dwarvish?"

  "Ah. Well. They're learning. They aren't quite at the level where I'd send them on their way, at least not for record keeping. They've gottey good at speaking though, if you'd like them to e back."

  "No, I think I'd rather them get their writing down to a good level. What do I owe you for another year of training?"

  "The same as st year should suffibsp; Even more paper will probably improve the rate they learn at too."

  I 't tell if she's using it as an excuse, or if it will actually help, but we'll have plenty of extra paper, so it won't actually hurt me to send it along with her.

  "Alright, we'll get it prepared. I'll talk with the trader ter today to get all our other details sorted out. Thanks for your help."