Msaka strode into the gate plaza, carefully holding his waterskin upright. He immediately began looking around the plaza for a more suitable container for the elemental, and quickly spied a stall where small sacks of vegetables were being offered for sale.

He realized that he looked odd enough carrying a torn waterskin around without having his staff in hand. He willed it away, and it disappeared. Still being careful to hold the waterskin securely, he approached the stand as the merchant eyed him curiously.

Msaka did his best to act as though nothing was out of the ordinary. "What are you charging for one of those?" he asked, pointing at a vegetable sack.

"Three dinars," the merchant replied. "Sir, I don't mean to pry, but may I ask why you are carrying a waterskin full of dirt around?"

Msaka suppressed a frown. "I have a good reason," he answered. "But if I told you what it was, it would probably start a panic, and I don't need to be blamed for that," he thought. He glanced at the vegetable sack. It didn't appear large enough to warrant such a stiff price, but then he noticed the symbol stamped onto the sacks. "These aren't from around here, are they?" he asked, gesturing at the sacks.

"No sir. They are imported from the north," the vendor said with a smile. "Some regions there have experienced great harvests, and are selling their surplus to Shapier and other states. These are from a small place known as Spielburg. I can assure you that they are of the highest quality. Even enchanted animals are said to prefer them above all other brands!"

Msaka wasn't planning on feeding any animals in anytime soon, never mind enchanted ones, so this boast failed to impress him. He did need the sack though, so he played along. "Two is more fair. If they have as much as you claim, then they can afford to sell it at a lower price than that."

The merchant chuckled. "Yes, that is true, but there is some small cost in transporting them here. Perhaps two and seventy?"

"Two and thirty," Msaka offered.

"Very well then, I shall meet you half way," the merchant said. "Two and fifty."

Msaka nodded, and the merchant picked up one of the sacks and set it before him. Msaka pulled out three dinars, and waited while the merchant counted out his change.

"I am sure you will enjoy them, sir," the merchant smiled as he handed over the centimes.

Msaka stuffed the coins away, then picked up the sack and walked towards the inn. Despite the crowd of shoppers, he soon reached it and entered, setting his sack down for a moment as he dealt with the door.

Once inside, he hurried to his room, closing and locking the door behind him. Gripping the waterskin securely, he set the sack down on the table and slit the top open with his dagger. Careful not to let the contents roll onto the floor, he slowly turned the sack over, emptying its contents onto the table.

Once he was satisfied that the sack was empty, he picked it up and drew the slit over the top of his waterskin, then flipped the two of them over. There was a tug as the elemental dropped out of the waterskin into the sack, but the elemental remained dormant. Msaka tossed the waterskin onto the table, and tied the top of the sack closed, letting out a small sigh of relief. Having secured the thing, it should stay dormant until he released it, though at the moment he couldn't think of anything useful to do with it. He briefly thought of asking Aziza to exchange it for a water elemental, but didn't think it likely that she'd accept the offer.

Shrugging, he stuffed the sack into his pack, then turned his attention to the vegetables. He couldn't very well carry them all with him, but he didn't want to just leave them behind when he left, either. With another shrug, he selected a few of them and put them in his pack, then called his staff back to him.

With a quick wave of his staff, the pile of vegetables disappeared, sent to his home back in Tarna. Their appearance there might cause a couple of raised eyebrows, but there was nothing else to be done with them. Besides which, if no other use turned up for them, they could always be eaten.

With that out of the way, he set to work doing what he'd been coming here to do in the first place - work on his magic. As he had the previous times, he went through the routines of all three of the spells the shaman had taught him, calling his staff back as necessary to power the incantations. It was easy enough work physically, but the spells were moderately taxing to his magical reserves. Still, he felt much more confident with them by the time he finished, noting that they were all well enough ingrained in his mind that he could probably use them effectively if the need arose.

Still, he would need to travel to that other city in order to do what was needed, and there were loose ends to tie up here. There was still an anonymous spellcaster trying to do him in, as well as that drunkard's friend, and possibly more of his friends, out there still.

Suddenly feeling very tired, he sat down on the bed, kicked off his sandals, and lay down. He'd been exerting himself a lot today, both physically and magically, and was now feeling the effects. A short nap wouldn't hurt, and would help him prepare for the next casting session.

Within minutes, he was asleep.