Three days after encountering the whirlpool sand trap in the desert, the city of Shapier came into view in the distance ahead. Even without looking, Msaka could tell that the rest of the caravan was feeling the same sense of relief that he was; they'd avoided any further troubles. His continued scanning for magic after dealing with the trap hadn't been necessary, but he didn't consider it a wasted effort at all, as there very well might have been another one out there.

Still, there was a short stretch to cover yet to the city gates, and he wasn't about to let his guard down until they arrived there. It didn't seem likely that there'd be such a trap in plain view of the city, but he wasn't willing to assume anything when it came to his personal safety - suffocating or being crushed under sand was certainly not something he intended to experience if he could help it.

As it turned out, his caution wasn't necessary; he sensed no such traps as they approached the gates, and soon the caravan came to a halt before the city. With a sigh, Msaka finally took the time to take a good look at the place.

The city was quite large, built of stone and brick, and rose above the desert sands, towering over it, though in a more subtle fashion than the liontaur city had done in its surroundings. It was also quite colorful, and the sun shone brightly off of many of the spires that rose above the city, sometimes enough to dazzle Msaka's eyes when he looked at them. The city gate itself was a large, open arch, flanked by a guard in uniform. Apparently, there was less concern here about potential attacks, though Msaka was uncertain as to whether this was a good thing or not.

To the side of the gate was a large fenced off area, with a number of sauruses inside. A strange looking man wearing odd glasses stood waggling his eyebrows as the caravan approached, and appeared to be smoking something Msaka didn't recognize. Appraising him for a moment, Msaka felt distinctly uneasy about him - there was something not quite trustworthy about the fellow, even more than most strangers. Fortunately, the man seemed content to just watch the caravan, not interfering.

The caravan soon turned into a frenzy of people unloading goods from the sauruses, and carrying them into the city. Msaka rode his saurus off to one side of the area, where he could watch without having to evade people hurrying past him constantly. He wasn't quite sure where to go, now that he'd arrived in Shapier, so he decided he'd wait and see what everyone else did once their work was complete.

A short time later, he spotted the merchant approaching him. "What now," he wondered, turning his saurus to face towards the man.

"Effendi, I will be going shortly to explain our encounter with that most evil trap that you discovered for us. I suspect that someone will want to speak with you about it as well, though perhaps not immediately. You should seek an inn to stay in before doing anything else here, so that I or the guards will be able to contact you if need be."

"Not that I'll be that hard to find anywhere else in this place." Msaka thought. "What one do you suggest?" he asked, dismounting from the saurus. He wasn't too pleased at the idea of being interrogated over the matter, but realized it was probably inevitable. "Just as long as the attention doesn't interfere with my task here..." he thought.

"Enter the gates, and you will be in the Gate Plaza." the merchant replied. "On the northeastern side of it is an inn, the Traveller's Rest. It was briefly the Katta's Tail inn last year, until the end of the troubles in this city and Raseir. The owners then moved back to Raseir, selling it to those who now own the place. It is as hospitable as one may find, effendi."

"Now, before we forget, there is the matter of your payment. Since you have provided such valuable service to me, and prevented us all from meeting a most gruesome end, I shall pay you eighty dinars instead of the sixty which I had promised. I hope you will accept this additional reward as a token of my gratitude." So saying, the merchant removed a large pouch from his robes, and held it out.

Msaka nodded, and took the pouch, which clinked in a very satisfying manner. Not having anywhere else to put it, he stuffed it into one of his robe's pockets, then looked back at the merchant. "What do I do with this animal?" he asked, gesturing towards the saurus.

"Ah, simply lead it to the pen over there." the merchant responded, pointing towards the fenced area. "And now, I must go, as the guards are most anxious to learn of what has happened. Good day, effendi." So saying, he turned and walked away towards the gates, where Msaka spotted a pair of the uniformed guards waiting.

Taking a couple of minutes to put the saurus in the pen, he made his own way to the gates, carefully avoiding the odd man who was still observing all of the activity. "The inn, and then I start looking for someone who knows about elementals." he thought, knowing that finding someone would be the easiest part of the job.