Lady of Curses

While making her way to the gates, Aella looked around trying to see if she could find another establishment that piqued her interest, but unfortunately, there were none. Although there were some that looked somewhat interesting and Aella remembered them so that she could visit them later, there weren't any that had the pull to explore as the shop she just left. 

Aella was a little disappointed but nothing else, she already knew that places like that shop won't just appear because Aella wished for them. 

''Uh, sorry.''

''No problem.'' While Aella was in her head, she lost her awareness of her surroundings and accidentally bumped into someone, and as luck would have it they were made out of rock, and although Aella apologized she was pretty sure she was the only one who got hurt. 

After that incident, Aella stopped swimming in her thoughts and fully concentrated on getting to the gate, hopefully without bumping into some. 

It didn't take long before she finally arrived at the gate, but she wasn't here to admire the gate but to look for a guard and ask for directions. She would prefer if Maya or Adir were at the gate she arrived, but by the looks of it, they weren't here, so the next best thing was to find a different guard. It wasn't hard to find a guard that wasn't busy with other people. The guard was fully dressed in wooden armor, and Aella couldn't see even a bit of skin, with a spear resting in their right hand. 

She saw the guard just standing there and looking around. They probably were on the clock, but Aella didn't see the harm asking them a question or two. 

So without reservation, Aella walked up to the guard. She saw how the guard turned fully to her when she got close enough, but they didn't say anything just observed her. 

''Hi, I'm kind of new here, and I was wondering if you could tell me where people pay rent for their housing.'' Aella didn't hesitate and asked directly about what she wanted to know. ''If you could point me in the right direction I will be on my way.''

For a moment the guard didn't say anything and just stood there looking at her, so Aella was considering just going away and trying to find someone else to ask for directions. 

''You can do it there.'' But before she could fully make up her mind the wood armored guard spoke, and as his slow masculine voice sounded he pointed at the guard house that was attached to the wall near the gate. 

Aella looked over at the guard house and then back at the guard, she nodded and gave her thanks. ''Thanks.''

Leaving the standing guard behind Aella approached the guard house. From the outside, the guard house didn't look anything intriguing, just a plain wooden house that is attached to the settlement's wall. 

*Knock, knock* After she arrived at the door she knocked on it announcing her presence. 

''Come in.'' After a moment she heard a voice from the inside, inviting her in. 

Opening the door Aella was greeted by a short portly man, he looked like a human with black hair and beard dressed in what looked like a green uniform. 

''What can I do for you?'' While Aella was looking at the man, the man asked what was her business here.

''I was told I could pay rent here.'' While answering the question Aella looked into the man's eyes and saw that they were completely black, there were no whites or ireses just two fully black eyes. 

''Right follow me.'' The man turned around on his heel and went through a door that was on the other end of the room. Aella followed him and left the room which had only a table and two chairs in it, and went inside a room that looked like an office. 

The chubby black-eyed man went to the other side of the big desk and sat down, and while Aella just stood there the man went through some of his drawers until he found what he was looking for. Now in front of him was a stack of papers and a simple wooden box that had vines winding around it. 

''What's your name?'' The man looked at Aella asking her name. 

''Aella.'' She gave her name and just continued standing there, while the man turned to the stack of papers and started going through them one by one. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for, and he stopped going through the papers and started reading what was on the paper he took out of the stack. 

''I see, so you're staying in the basic house.'' The man started speaking without lifting his eyes from the paper. ''If you want access to everything that you have until the free stay expires then it's one growth crystal per day, but if you don't need something like food or water then we can cut the price down.''  After saying that the man put the paper down and looked at Aella, waiting for her answer. 

''I will pay the full price, and I would like to pay for thirty days at the moment.'' Aella didn't make the man wait and answered him almost immediately. 

''Great, now just put the necessary growth crystals inside this box and you're good to go.'' The little man pushed the box he had taken out earlier closer to Aella and started to put the papers away. 

Aella approached the desk, she took the pouch that had 25 growth crystals in it and put another 5 inside it from her more recently acquired pouch. Then she took one crystal from it and put it inside the box, and the moment she did the vines moved and formed a 1 on its sides, and when Aella put another crustal it formed a 2. 

The box wasn't too big, and just looking at it Aella thought that by around the 10th crystal, it would be full, but no matter how many crystals she put inside the box it never got fuller, and if she didn't see the numbers changing she would think that something was wrong. 

So while still wondering where her crystals were disappearing to, she finished putting all 30 crystals inside the box. When she finished putting the last crystal inside the box, the man, who had finished putting the papers back inside the drawer, tapped the box, and the next moment the vines around the box engulfed it fully leaving no open space, and now looked like a fully closed box made out of vines. 

''Your payment is confirmed, you're free to go.'' The man didn't even look at the box, he just turned to Aella and told her that her payment had gone through.

''Thank you.'' Without saying more Aella turned around and left the man's office, and then the guard house. 

Now with 55 crystals left to her name, Aella decided to visit the bakery that had attracted her previously, she just hoped that it was still open because she couldn't get the wonderful smell out of her head. 

So with some crystals on her hip, and the scent of the bakery in her mind Aella made her way to the bakery.