The small raft rocked as the boatman pulled the oar, and then pushed it. He only had to do the action once to keep the raft up to speed.

I sat a few feet from him, and although the large lake we were on was calm and relatively empty it wasn't very quiet. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of birds flying overhead and littered all over the lake. Floating and swimming around, squawking happily to one another.

Their numbers made sense, of course, since these lakes were one of the few sources of fresh water for hundreds of miles. But most of the birds were not desert or highland birds, like they should be. Most were either the type you found in the ocean, or damp wetlands that were over a thousand miles away.

The raft started to slow again, so the boatman rowed his oar once more. In doing so the raft picked up speed, causing some nearby birds to have to paddle away as we neared. One of them quaked at us, though it didn't look like a duck at all.

"So… may I ask, sir, are you one of them? The spirit folk?" the boatman asked as I studied the strange bird.

"Hm? Ah…" I looked away from the bird and nodded over my shoulder. "Yes, I suppose. I'm here to visit a friend," I said.

The older man frowned knowingly as he nodded. "I figured," he said gently.

"How'd you notice?" I asked. Even at places like here, where humans and non-humans lived together rather openly, no one usually realized who or what I was on a simple glance.

"When you got on the boat. It shifted oddly, and then settled instantly. As if you had weight, and then suddenly didn't," the man said as he rowed again.

Ah. I smiled and nodded, understanding what he meant.

I'd say he was very observant, but he's likely worked on this boat… or at least on these lakes, his whole life. He worked as a ferryman so was likely very used to the feeling of his boat shifting as people got into it. He was likely able to tell if one was used to boats and who wasn't.

Though it was funny he called this tiny raft a boat. It wasn't wrong, per-say, but still.

"Still I'm shocked you hired me! You spirit folk usually have your own methods getting to the city, don't usually hire us regular folk," he said, sounding a little happy about it. He sounded like he was looking forward to telling his family and friends about his strange customer later on.

"I like to surprise those I visit," I said gently, giving him my excuse for not using one of the ferries this place had that were only for non-humans. Off in the distance I saw one of them, a large several deck ship with huge fanned out wings, looking like bird tail feathers while unfurled.

It, like our little raft, was heading for the center of this massive lake. To the huge city in the middle of it.

"Well, I'm thankful for the business no matter the reason!" the man said happily.

Oh…? I noted the sincerity in his voice. He spoke as if he was somewhat struggling, and thus actually thankful for the work. Any work, it seemed.

Strange. This was not called Oasis just because it was an actual oasis. Merit and her people had made it a point to take care of all of their inhabitants. Not just the nonhuman ones, either. Last I had known there had been a monthly stipend to all residents, regardless of their status or what they did for work.

Maybe that stipend was over? Or maybe it was no longer enough to live off of? Though this man could simply be the type to not accept such welfare, his pride not allowing it, as well.

"Have there not been a lot of visitors lately?" I asked, wondering if maybe there was something wrong. Maybe knowing the state of the local economy, or the immigrants, would let me know more.

"Hm…? No more or less than usual, I think. The storm season's just finished up, so it'll pick up soon as the neighboring nations start needing food, like usual," the man said.

I nodded slowly. Right.

"Though there's been talk of banning entry to the Wevling folk. Not sure why, honestly, but I understand it."

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Wevling? The smaller nation to the south?

We had a few members there, so I wondered what was going on.

I frowned at him as I parsed his words. "If you understand it, why wouldn't you know why?" I asked. That made no sense.

"The Queen and them have to have a good reason. They'd not do it otherwise," he said simply.

Oh. Right.

I nodded slowly; it felt a little odd to hear such pure loyalty for Merit from such a man. But it was not a surprise either. Humans were usually either full supporters of their rulers, or hated them. Though he might just be saying that because I'm not a human.

"All's well, really. Lakes are healthy. The people happy. We just had a festival a little bit ago, too," the man continued to tell me about his home as we drew nearer to it.

The city did look fine. It was raised upward, having multiple levels. There were docks and boats all around its outer layers, and giant trees and plant life on its upper ones. It wasn't the only town here on the lakes, what with a few others being off in the distance, but it was the largest and where most of the residents of Merit's Oasis lived. It wasn't the largest kingdom in this region, by far, but it still held tens of thousands of residents last I heard.

Some of the boats docked at the city were obviously from afar. Coming from one of the surrounding nations, through the channels and rivers that connected to these lakes. I knew some of them were likely stuck here at the moment, since some of those rivers were currently dried up. I had passed through one of the larger ones on the way here, and had not needed to use a bridge or swim. There hadn't been a drop of water in it.

"Didn't you say the storm season just passed?" I asked, wondering why that river had been dried up already then.

"Aye. It had been a light one, honestly. Probably one of the lightest in a long time," he said.

I see. So the rains this year had been bad. That wouldn't bother this place much, what with these massive lakes as reservoirs, but it would upset the natural order of the nations around here. Many of them relied entirely on those rivers, and the few small lakes they themselves had.

A large hawk flew down and landed on the tip of the raft. Its large talons made noises as it turned and looked around, ignoring me and the man completely as it perched and studied its surroundings.

"What kind of spirit are you sir? If I may ask?" the man then asked, liking because of the bird. Maybe he thought I was a hawk too, because of it.

"No idea. I have no traits to speak of," I lied gently.

"Ah…! So it can happen to your kind too! Fascinating. I'd always wondered," he said as if it made perfect sense.

"Hm."

"Must be strange, but we normal folk have the same problem. I was an orphan myself, so I have no idea where I'm even from!" the man said as he rowed the boat.

"Think of it positively, that means our failures are our own. We don't get to blame others like all the rest do," I said lightly as I watched the hawk spread its wings and take to the sky.

The man laughed at that. "I'd not call that a positive, sir!"

I would.

As we neared the capital, the Oasis, I noted the hubbub on the docks we were nearing. A group of people were unloading one of the larger ships that were docked at it. It looked to be a bunch of barrels and boxes.

"Well, sir. Welcome to Oasis! Or welcome back, I suppose?" the boatman said as we slowly floated up to one of the smaller docks. On the other side of the large ship being unloaded.

"Thanks. I guess," I said with a sigh as I stood as to disembark.

I'd already paid the man, but I still went ahead and dug out a few more coins of the local currency.

I didn't outright pity him, or completely believe his faint attempt at crying poverty, but I did like the idea of possibly purchasing his loyalty a little. Not so much for me, but my fellow kind. Us non-humans.

"You already paid, sir!" the man noticed what I was doing as he grabbed the dock, as to steady the raft against it.

"I did. For the ferry. This is for the local news, thanks," I said as I reached over and handed him the handful of coins.

The man took them, with a look of odd worry as if he knew he shouldn't be taking them for such a silly reason, but I didn't give him further chance to argue. I stepped off the raft and onto the dock and nodded.

"Thanks again. May your lips never dry," I said, parting with him using the common phrase around here.

"You too sir!" the man shouted happily as I stepped away, and entered Merit's Kingdom.

I knew where I'd find her. Like the rest of our people she'd be up in the higher levels of the city, where the foliage was thickest. Like the proper queen she was, she lived up on high and looked down on those she ruled.

Though I'd hurry to her, since I was here on her request, I decided to take a small detour. I'd round the docks a little before heading straight to the center of the city. As to see the city, and its state.

It seemed fine on first glance. The waters were clean. The docks bustling. The people didn't seem upset or worse for wear…

But I knew full well appearances could be deceiving. Especially right now.

Half the world was at war, after all. And something told me even this tiny little oasis, hidden in the far corner of the world, was having its own troubles.

Even if that ferryman didn't notice, or care to speak it aloud.

Merit's letter requesting my aid was proof enough.

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