Aetheria was immeasurably large at night.
With two wanted women at my side, it felt unrealistically small.
Every alley seemed to lead to another patrol, every rooftop to a set of watchful eyes.
It was as if the city itself was trying to remind me of every stupid decision I had made in the last twenty-four hours.
"Faster," Nyx hissed.
"I am going as fast as I can," I grumbled.
"You are slowing us down," she said.
"I’ve been in this world for two days!"
Cyra turned her head back over her shoulder.
"Two days?"
I realized my mistake.
Nyx stopped running for half a second.
"Two days?"
"Approximately," I said.
Cyra gave me a strange look.
"You’ve only been here for two days?"
I nodded.
"And you’ve already acquired a supernatural System, upgraded a person, fought bounty hunters, robbed a merchant, and escaped a mansion."
"When you put it that way, it does sound irresponsible," Nyx said as she resumed running.
"It is irresponsible," I muttered as I followed her into a narrow alley.
Trying not to trip over the countless pipes that littered the ground, I took in my surroundings.
The streets of Aetheria were nothing like the upscale district we had just left.
Here, the walls were littered with glowing chemical advertisements, steam hissed from broken valves, and thick cables snaked between buildings like metallic vines.
It was all very... lively.
Lively, not pretty.
Everything seemed to have a pulse.
The ground vibrated with an energy I felt in my bones.
"Here," Nyx said as we turned down another alley.
A patrol of three mechanical officers marched past the opening, their dark armor gleaming under the blue light of an Aether streetlamp.
I ducked behind a stack of crates as Cyra and Nyx did the same.
"City Watch," Nyx whispered.
"Are they looking for us?" I asked.
"Everyone is looking for us," she replied.
"That wasn’t reassuring."
"It wasn’t supposed to be."
I peered over the edge of the crates and watched as one of the officers stopped and turned his head in our direction.
My System popped up.
[Hostile technology detected.]
[Threat level: Moderate.]
I almost laughed.
My System appeared again.
[Recommendation: Remain concealed.]
For once, I wholeheartedly agreed.
The officer’s mechanical head snapped toward me. I held my breath as his red optical sensor scanned the alley.
[Threat level: Moderate.]
[Recommended action: Eliminate target.]
Suddenly, a steam carriage rolled past the alley, blocking the officer’s view.
The patrol resumed walking and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
"You were afraid," Cyra said.
"Obviously."
"You didn’t seem afraid when you fought Grim."
"I was terrified."
She blinked.
"You hid it well."
"I screamed."
She smiled.
"I remember."
Nyx stood.
"Enough."
We continued running until the narrow alleys opened up into wide streets.
Massive avenues stretched before us, mechanical vehicles speeding down the roadways between glowing rails.
Above us, trains ran overhead on massive bridges, while airships floated between the buildings.
Some of the ships were small courier vessels, while others were massive armored crafts, their decks bristling with enough artillery to destroy an entire city.
I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
"That," I said, "is what we’re taking."
Nyx followed my gaze.
"The Skyport is still several districts away."
"How long will it take us to get there?" I asked.
"Two hours if we avoid patrols."Two hours?"
Cyra nodded.
"That is not long."
I looked at her.
"Compared to what?"
"To the amount of people hunting us."
"Right."
She had a point.
We arrived at a market district, the streets teeming with people.
Stalls lined the thoroughfares, selling everything from mechanical parts to exotic food and Aether crystals.
It was all very loud, the din of hundreds of people drowning out any sound of our conversation. Perfect.
Nyx pulled her hood over her head while Cyra concealed her silver hair with a dark cloak.
I kept my revolver hidden beneath my coat.
For the first time since arriving in Aetheria, I felt almost normal.
Someone grabbed my shoulder. Instinctively, I reached for my gun.
"Don’t," a voice said.
I turned to see a thin man with unkempt black hair standing behind me.
He wore a long gray coat, the sleeves of which were covered in pockets and tools.
His left eye was entirely mechanical, a small gear rotating in the center of the metal orb.
"Silas?" Nyx asked.
The man smiled.
"Miss me?"
"No."
"Good."
He turned to me.
"So you’re the new one."
I frowned.
"The new one?"
"The stranger traveling with Nyx."
He gave me a long, hard look.
"You don’t look like much."I hear that often."
His mechanical eye glowed.
Then his expression changed.
"What are you?"
I hesitated.
"Human?"
Silas laughed.
"Try again."
Nyx stepped between us.
"He’s with me."
Silas raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Relax. I was just curious." He looked at Cyra. Then his expression darkened.
"You brought her?"
Cyra crossed her arms over her chest.
"I wasn’t invited."
Silas stared at her.
"That’s exactly what worries me."
I looked between them.
"You two know each other?"
"Unfortunately," Cyra said.
Silas sighed.
"She’s a Valt."
"Is that bad?"
Silas looked at me like I was stupid.
"The Valt family owns half the trade in this city."
Cyra’s expression tightened.
"Not half."
Silas smiled.
"Three-fifths."
"That’s an exaggeration."
"It isn’t."
I looked at Cyra.
"You’re rich?"
She frowned.
"I was."
"Was?"
"My family owns the money."
Silas interrupted.
"She doesn’t."
He leaned closer.
"She’s their prisoner."
The din of the marketplace seemed to hush around us.
I looked at Cyra.
She didn’t deny it.
Silas continued.
"Her family sealed her Aether because her abilities frightened them."
His mechanical eye glowed.
"And now that she’s escaped, they’ll tear half the city apart looking for her."
I sighed.
"Everyone we meet seems to have a powerful family trying to kill them."
Nyx shrugged.
"That’s Aetheria."
Silas reached into his coat and pulled out three small metal badges.
"I have a way to get you to the Skyport."
He tossed me one of the badges.
"Temporary worker permits," he said.
I looked at the badge in my hand.
"Are these real?"
"Real enough."
"What does that mean?"
"They’ll work until someone checks them carefully."
"That doesn’t sound very reassuring."
"It isn’t."
He tossed another badge to Cyra.
"Once you’re inside the Skyport, you need to find Dock Nine."
Nyx looked at him.
"What’s there?"
"A ship."
"What ship?"
Silas smiled.
"The Iron Wraith."
I stared at him.
"That sounds incredibly trustworthy."
"It isn’t."
"Wonderful."
Silas lowered his voice.
"You’ll need a pilot."
Nyx frowned.
"We don’t have one."
"I know someone."
"Who?"
Silas looked toward the east.
"A girl named Vexa."
I waited.
"What does she do?"
"Steals airships."
I stared at him.
Nyx stared at him.
Cyra stared at him.
Silas smiled.
"She’s very good at it."
The System appeared.
[Potential Crew Candidate Detected.]
[Designation: Vexa Rynn.]
[Specialty: Steamrunner Pilot.]
[Potential: Exceptional.]
My eyes widened.
Another candidate.
Another potential upgrade.
I looked toward the east, where Silas had been staring. Somewhere in that market district was a woman who could steal airships. I smiled.
"How much does she charge?"
Silas laughed.
"That’s the problem."
"What’s the problem?"
"She doesn’t work for money."
"Then what does she want?"
Silas’s smile was strange.
"Freedom."
The System appeared again.
[New Main Objective.]
[Recruit Vexa Rynn.]
[Objective Reward: 20 Upgrade Energy.]
Twenty.
My eyes nearly popped out of my skull.
That was more than I had ever had at one time. I looked at Nyx and Cyra, then back at the market district.
"All right."
Nyx raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
I adjusted my coat.
"We’re finding ourselves a pilot."
Cyra smiled.
"And if she refuses?"
I rested a hand on the grip of my Aether Revolver.
"Then we’ll negotiate."
Nyx sighed.
"You’re getting worse."
I grinned.
"I’m getting better."
Above us, an airship the size of a skyscraper drifted between the towers.
The engines roared like thunder.
For some reason, I felt excited.
A day ago, I had been alone in this city.
Now I had two friends, a supernatural System, an upgraded weapon, and a crazy plan to steal an airship.
And somehow, I had a feeling things were only going to get better from here.