The first lesson about becoming a criminal was that there was no salary.
Nyx and I stood in the middle of the ruined street, surrounded by the broken stalls, unconscious bounty hunters, and dozens of people pretending that they did not see anything.
I looked at Nyx.
She looked at me.
Then she looked at the food market.
"Are you hungry?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Money?"
"No."
"Wonderful."
She holstered her revolver and turned her back to me.
"I’m leaving."
I blinked.
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me."
She turned away and began walking down the street.
I hurried after her.
"Where are you going?"
"Somewhere you are not."
"That’s very specific."
"It’s also intentional."
I caught up to her and walked alongside her under the shadow of the railway.
The market was right there, continuing its work, as if nothing happened.
Though the people left us alone, giving Nyx a wide berth.
Her new mechanical arm was hard to miss, with the red lines glowing under the black plating.
"You are not going to ask me how I did that?" I asked.
"No."
"Really?"
"I know what I need to know."
"And that is?"
She glanced at me.
"You are dangerous."
I couldn’t argue with that.
A few hours ago, I was helpless, lost, and half-starving. Now I had a System that could upgrade me and apparently, other people.
"If that is the case, you should come with me," I said.
"No."
"You don’t even know where I am going."
"I don’t need to."
"Why?"
"Because anyone who can do what you did to my arm will eventually draw attention."
Nyx stopped walking under the bridge.
I almost collided with her back.
Nyx turned around.
"Listen carefully, Riven."
The playfulness left her voice as she stared at me.
"You don’t know me."
"I know that you are being hunted."
"You don’t know why."
"That is true."
"You don’t know who sent them."
"Also true."
"You don’t know what will happen if they find you again."
I looked at her mechanical arm.
"I’m guessing something unpleasant."
Her expression darkened.
"They will not stop."
The distant train began its journey, rattling the rails and making the metal bridge tremble.
The windows of the train glowed orange through the thick steam.
Nyx waited until the sound of the train faded away.
"They will keep coming until I am dead."
I crossed my arms.
"Then why are you running away?"
"Because you are not part of this."
I laughed.
"That is where you are wrong."
Nyx frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I just upgraded you."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That does not make me your responsibility."
"No."
I shook my head.
"But it makes you the first person I met who has potential."
She stared at me.
I don’t know if she understood what I said or not.
The words of the System were still fresh in my mind.
[Potential: Extremely High.]
I had no idea what it meant.
But I had a feeling that whatever it meant, it was not average.
"You are strong," I said.
"You have combat experience, you know this world, and apparently, half the people in this district want you dead."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That is your reasoning?"
"It is very convincing."
"No, it is not."
"I thought so."
She sighed.
"You’re an idiot."Probably."
Nyx turned around and began walking.
I followed.
She stopped again.
"Why are you following me?"
"Because you said not to."
"That is not a reason."
"It is to me."
She stared at me for a long time.
Then she turned around and continued walking.
I followed.
After a minute, she spoke again.
"You are really not going to stop."
"Nope."
"Why?"
I thought about it.
The truth was surprisingly simple.
I did not want to be alone.
This world was too big, too dangerous, and too strange for my liking.
Nyx was the first person to show me some measure of kindness. More importantly, she trusted me enough to let me upgrade her.
"I need information," I said.
She glanced at me.
"And you need protection."
"I can protect myself."
"You had a bullet nearly enter your skull."
"That was a warning shot."
"It wasn’t."
"I know."
For the first time, Nyx almost smiled.
Almost.
We eventually arrived in a different part of the district.
The buildings here were older, their wooden walls reinforced with metal plates and steel pipes that released steam in the alleys.
Nyx stopped in front of a small building with a door barely visible behind the hanging laundry.
"This is where we part ways," she said.
I looked at the building. "You live here?"
"For now."
"For now?"
She did not answer.
Nyx opened her coat, revealing a small cylinder of metal attached to her belt.
An Aether Core.
Even from a distance, I could see the blue light flickering from the cracks in the core’s casing.
The System immediately reacted to the familiar sight.
[Aether Core detected.]
[Condition: 19%.]
[Potential: Moderate.]
I stared at the core in Nyx’s hand.
Nyx noticed my look.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You are looking at my core."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Then definitely nothing."
She sighed.
"You are terrible at lying."
I pointed at the core.
"That thing is damaged."
"I know."
"I can probably fix it."
Her expression changed.
"No."
I blinked.
"Why?"
"Because every time you touch something, you turn it into something it is not."
I smiled.
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It is a warning."
Nyx put the core back in her coat.
"I’m leaving the district tonight."
"Why?"
"Because the bounty hunters know where I am."
I looked around.
"Then I will come with you."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you’ll die."
Nyx shrugged.
"People keep saying that."
"I’m serious."
"So am I."
She looked at me.
"You don’t understand what you are getting into."
Her voice was quiet.
"The people hunting me are not some street thugs."
I waited.
"They work for someone powerful."
"How powerful?"
"Powerful enough to erase an entire district from existence."
That got my attention.
"That is very concerning."
"It is more than that."
Nyx looked at the distant skyline.
Beyond the slums, the city’s towers stretched to the sky.
Their illuminated signs and logos floated above the city, attached to airships.
"The people who want me dead have resources, weapons, and spies. They can buy the police for all the money they have."
She looked at me.
"If you come with me, they will come after you as well."
I thought about it.
The mysterious world, the strange System, the dangerous city, and the woman with the absurd upgrade.
Perhaps it was best if she left. Unfortunately, I was not good at making smart decisions.
"I will take the risk."
Nyx looked at me.
"Why?"
I smiled.
"Because I want to see what you become."
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she looked away.
"You really are an idiot."
"I hear that a lot."
Nyx opened the door.
"Fine."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Fine?"
"You can come."
I stepped inside.
"But?"
She pointed at me.
"If you slow me down, I will leave you."
"Deal."
"And if you betray me - "
"I won’t."
"You didn’t let me finish."You were going to threaten me."
"Yes."
"I figured."
Nyx shook her head and stepped inside.
I followed her.
The room was small but surprisingly clean.
There was a bed, a desk, several boxes of ammunition, and a wall of weapons.
It looked more like a hideout than a home.
I saw the maps on the wall.
Routes, districts, airship docks, and one large map of the city.
Aetheria looked much bigger from inside the district.
Nyx walked to the table.
"We leave tonight."
"Where?"
"North."
"What is there?"
She looked at me.
"The Skyport."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Airships?"
"Yes."
I smiled.
Finally, something exciting.
Nyx pointed at the map.
"But first, we need to get some things."
"What things?"
"Money."
I nodded.
"Obviously."
"Weapons."
"Also obvious."
"And information."
"Where do we get those?"
Nyx smiled.
"There is a man in the lower district who sells all three."
I waited.
"What does he want in exchange?"
Nyx’s smile vanished.
"Something we are going to steal."
The System appeared before my eyes.
[New Objective Available.]
[Assist Nyx Veyra in escaping the district.]
[Objective Reward: 10 Upgrade Energy.]
I looked at the message.
Ten Upgrade Energy.
That was enough to make another significant upgrade.
I smiled.
"Looks like we are stealing something."
Nyx glanced at me.
"You seem far too happy about that."
I couldn’t help it.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I had a goal.
More importantly, I had someone to help me achieve it.
Outside, the city continued to rumble under the thick blanket of steam.
Above it, the airships floated above the smog-choked city.
Beyond them, there was an entire world that I knew nothing about.
And I had a feeling that I was about to make a lot of enemies in it.