Steamforged Sorcery - Chapter 25 (Patreon)

“These were amateurs,” Cowl replied. “They were stupid and weak. The other crew had several dangerous fighters and more than a few artifacts, not to mention a flying vehicle. I might have been able to escape, but now while protecting you and Angel.”

“I can hold my own, thank you very much,” Angel said. He thought for a moment. “Well, probably not against whole crew. But I could take a few of them.”

“What do you want me to do, congratulate you?” Cowl asked. He knelt beside one of the corpses, digging around the man’s belt and pulling out a small purse. He tucked it into a pocket. His wings whirred to life and lifted him off the ground.

Angel rolled his eyes. Cowl took off and the other two followed close behind him. Vanessa seemed to be lost in thought throughout the rest of the trip there. Luckily, no further bandits bothered them. Whether that was due to luck or the corpses they’d left in their wake, Angel wasn’t sure.

Silver Sands had large, silver walls that had probably aided in the creation of its name. They stood three men tall, with several lightly armored guards sitting atop them. There were about a dozen iron gates scattered around the wall that gave entrance to the city.

Several small pillars of smoke rose up from within it, and the faint, clink-chug of machinery filled the air. Surprisingly, the air smelled rather fresh. It wasn’t as clean as the middle of the desert, but it was a far cry from Bronze City.

The three of them slowed down as the reached the nearest gate. Angel hopped off his board and slung it over his shoulder, wrapping his arm as they grew closer. When they stood before the gate, a guard peered down at them.

“Scuffle with the bandits?” the man asked, scratching the side of his scruffy face.

“They were trying to overcharge us. We didn’t take kindly to that,” Cowl said. “We’ll be happy to pay the proper entrance fee.”

The guard started to nod, but another man on the wall started towards them. With a sigh, the guard shook his head and ducked away for a moment. The iron grate blocking the city rumbled upwards and the man popped back out.

“No need,” he said with a disappointed frown. “There’s no official tax to enter the city. Just try not to anger too many bandits. It won’t be good for your health.”

“Noted,” Cowl said, sweeping forward as soon as the bars had raised. Angel and Vanessa followed after him and it slammed shut behind them.

The inside of Silver Sands looked like a massive marketplace. Dozens of merchants lined the streets, their wares laid out before them on carpets and blankets. They outnumbered the shoppers by at least three to one.

Most of the buildings were really just elaborate tents – some of which were multiple stories. A tall, spindly building held up by supports sat in the center of the town, surrounded by the market.

“Well, at least it won’t be hard for us to find a map,” Angel said as Cowl led them down the streets. Merchants called out to them, going as far as to reach out and tug on the hems of their pants.

A merchant leaned forward, grabbing Cowl’s right pant leg. “A map, sirs? I have one!”

Cowl kicked her hands away without even looking in her direction. “On the contrary. It is going to be dreadfully difficult.”

“Why?” Vanessa asked, skirting around the merchant as they passed her.

“Most of these merchants are scam artists. Their maps would be worthless,” Cowl replied. “We need to locate a real cartographer, and anything of value costs either time or money.”

“Well, how much metal did our dead friends have?” Angel asked as Cowl turned down a side street, stepping in between merchants as he led them towards a multicolored tent with three stories near the east edge of the town.

“Enough to help,” Cowl said. They reached the front of the tent and he pushed the flap open, gesturing for Angel and Vanessa to go in first.

Angel ducked under the Hunter’s arm. He let out a small sigh as cool air prickled against his skin. He moved out of the way to let Cowl and Vanessa enter behind him. The faint smell of honeydew hung low in the air around them.

Even within the tent, there must have been a dozen merchants. These ones had tables, and all of them had some sort of food laid out before them.

“It smells good,” Vanessa said.

“Don’t say that too loudly. Someone will try to sell you food,” Cowl said. “If you buy anything, don’t let them see how much coin you’ve got. And buy something natural. No precooked goods – stick to fruit.”

“Because they’ll skimp out on the ingredients?” Vanessa guessed.

“Or they’ll just stuff it full of dirt,” Cowl replied. A merchant selling pies shot him a dirty look, but he didn’t dare meet the Hunter’s eyeless gaze for long and looked away.

They walked over to the end of the tent, where a ladder made of hemp and rusted metal bars hung down from the second level. Cowl ascended it like a spider, reaching the top in moments.

Angel followed after him. The ladder swung under his weight, but he’d traversed less sturdy terrain within the catacombs and it did little to slow him. The second floor was blessedly free of merchants.

There were a dozen sections separated by heavy curtains. A tall man in leather armor with two blades at his side stood a short distance away from them, watching them with keen eyes.

“Come seeking information?” the man asked.

“We have,” Cowl replied. “I need a map through the center of the Barren.”

“A lone group traveling through the Barren? Do you have a vehicle?”

“Yes. No,” Cowl said, pulling out the pouch he’d taken from the bandits and tossing it to the man.

He caught it and pulled the pouch open, watching them out of the corner of his eye as he inspected the coins within it. The man pulled the drawstring shut and nodded, tucking the pouch onto his belt.