It took Keran three days to hike out of the forest.
The woods sat right within Dawn City’s borders.
He had to admit Undercurrent’s reach was longer than he had expected.
They could deploy strike teams this deep, even on the outskirts of Dawn.
Once clear of the trees, he found a maglev access station and hopped a long-haul freight maglev headed for Dawn City’s West District, hauling livestock.
The wilderness was dangerous.
On top of that, years of shadow wars between the cities and Undercurrent had most regions in a permanent state of semi-mobilization.
Most overland highways connecting the cities had long been abandoned.
Every faction relied on maglev lines to move people and supplies between settlements.
The silvery magnetic tracks hung suspended in midair, held aloft by energy pylons, stretching off into the distance.
The cars glided along the rails silently, faint pale blue electromagnetic sparks occasionally spitting from their undersides.
Mutant beasts were fierce.
Every city stationed troops and built checkpoints at its borders.
Tall electrified fence barriers were a city’s first line of defense.
Spotting the barbed wire meant you were getting close.
After two days of “free” riding, the outline of the electrified fence finally appeared on the horizon.
Beyond it, the massive skyline of the city slowly came into view, built in shades of white and pale blue.
Several sleek, angular skyscrapers pierced the cloud layer.
Glowing deep blue energy conduits ran across their exteriors, standing out starkly against the overcast sky.
Countless tiny lights drifted slowly across the sky above the city.
They were the navigation lights of shuttles and small flyers.
Some cruised at low altitude, others hovered at landing pads atop skyscrapers.
Now and then, a massive transport freighter would glide slowly through the clouds, trailing a long plume of exhaust flame.
Keran brushed off a few hens that had been flapping around him and let out a long, heavy breath.
He stared out at the city, a distant look in his eyes.
Dawn City.
I’m here.
…
Keran watched the giant holographic white falcon slowly rotating above the city skyline.
It was the symbol of Dawn City.
The white falcon that rises at dawn.
The bad blood between Dawn and Undercurrent ran deeper than any other rivalry.
It went back to the final days of the old city-state wars.
Undercurrent’s predecessor had secretly colluded with Dawn’s enemies, launching multiple large-scale attacks inside Dawn’s borders at the worst possible moment.
Tens of thousands were killed or wounded.
Frontline troops had to be pulled back to defend the city.
Dawn almost lost its seat in the Hundred Cities Federation entirely.
Endless electrified barbed wire stretched along the perimeter of every city.
Checkpoints were the only way in, guarded by soldiers who searched every entrant.
The maglev slowed and pulled into the open-air platform just outside the fence barrier.
The platform itself was suspended in midair, supported by transparent structural beams that let you see the ground dozens of meters below.
Military installations surrounded the area.
Bunkers, watchtowers, and auto-turrets, all manned by soldiers keeping a stern eye on incoming traffic.
Armed patrol skiffs cruised slowly past the platform at low altitude every few minutes, their searchlights sweeping over the disembarking passengers one by one.
Over a thousand wanderers crowded the station plaza, waiting in a long line.
One by one, they passed through a glowing, deep blue scanner gate.
Only those cleared of weapons, outstanding bounties, and contagious diseases were allowed through the checkpoint.
Every city had policies for accepting wanderers, poaching talented drifters, and skilled elites to bolster its population.
Keran had no intention of going through the scan.
Undercurrent had almost certainly put out his bounty by now.
A scan would blow his cover instantly.
His end goal was to make contact with Dawn’s intelligence agencies, but he could not afford to reveal his identity while surrounded by soldiers.
Luckily, there was a way around the checkpoint.
An unassuming man sat in the corner of the plaza.
He was not in line, nor was he leaving.
He blended perfectly into the background.
He was a smuggler, a middleman for people looking to sneak into the city.
Most people did not know he existed.
He only took jobs from referrals.
Just then, a thin, gaunt young man walked up to him and got straight to the point.
“Is it safe?”
The smuggler looked up at Keran.
Seeing that he was a stranger, he played dumb.
“Is what safe?”
“This is payment. Enough?”
Keran did not waste time on small talk. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He tossed his backpack full of guns over.
The smuggler unzipped it, peeked inside, and zipped it back up fast.
Holy shit.
Who was this guy?
Walking around with this much firepower took guts.
The West District had strict gun control laws, and Keran was not here to cause trouble.
He had no use for the weapons anymore.
“Enough? Yeah, that’s more than enough.”
The smuggler looked confused.
“How’d you know I do this?”
“None of your business.”
Asking no questions was the golden rule of the smuggling business.
The smuggler pushed his curiosity aside and stood up to lead the way.
A boxy hover truck waited just outside the station.
It had no wheels, just four sets of anti-gravity pontoons that held it just above the ground.
The engine hummed low and steady.
Several passengers were already sitting in the cargo hold.
They all gave Keran a measuring look as he climbed in.
He kept his face neutral and found a spot to sit.
The windows were tinted pitch black with light-absorbing film, so no one could see outside.
The truck would take them to a hidden entrance in the fence barrier.
The officer posted there was on the smuggler’s payroll.
As long as the group was not too big, he would look the other way.
On the ride over, a short man sitting next to Keran got bored and struck up a conversation.
In his experience, wide-eyed new kids were the easiest marks to string along.
“First time in Dawn City, buddy?”
Keran glanced at him.
“Yeah. What do I call you?”
“Grubb. You?”
“Keran.”
Grubb launched into a know-it-all speech.
“First time in Dawn, huh?
Let me fill you in.
The city is split into eight districts.
District One is the political core.
All the bigwigs live there.
No one gets in.
The other seven districts all have their own thing going on.
They’re all run behind the scenes by big shots from the underworld.
Word of advice?
Stay far away from those guys.
Cross them, and you’ll end up dead before you even know what hit you.”
Keran shook his head internally.
The so-called underworld was just a web of drugs, human trafficking, smuggling, and arms dealing.
Every city had its share of criminals, but they were nothing compared to the official authorities.
Most people just naturally feared brutal criminals more than they feared the government.
They knew the authorities would not hurt them for no reason.
Criminals would.
It was human nature.
Most people did not fear armed guards standing next to an armored truck.
But put a gun in the hands of a scary-looking guy with no uniform, and everyone would run as far as they could.
Grubb was lecturing him about things Keran already knew inside and out, but Keran did not call him out.
He just played along.
“What about the military? They don’t do anything?”
“Pfft, what’re they gonna do? Roll tanks into the streets?” Grubb scoffed.
He clearly thought the underworld ran everything, and he was eager to show off.
“My cousin’s a boss under one of the big players. Guy’s going places. I’m here to hook up with him. Well, uh, help him out, you know.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Keran said flatly.
With someone to impress, Grubb grew even more animated, talking a mile a minute.
“Damn right it is. My cousin’s a big name in the West District. Ever heard of Rustnail? Oh, right, you’re new here. So you’re in town to stay with family?”
“Nah,” Keran lied easily.
“Just looking for work. Trying to settle down.”
If he could recruit this kid for his cousin, he’d earn some points.
He leaned in, brash and confident.
“Hey, how ’bout you come work with me? I’ll set you up. You’ll go far, kid.”
Keran politely turned him down.
To Grubb, that was just youthful arrogance talking.
He snorted.
“Let me tell you how it really goes for regular wanderers in this city. You’ll live in the slums. Eat moldy garbage. The Hundred Cities Federation talks a big game about welcoming wanderers, but it’s all for show. They don’t care about you. You’re a nobody with no connections. What future do you have? Come with me. I can’t promise you the world, but you’ll eat regularly, at least.”
“No thanks.” Keran shook his head.
Grubb’s face soured.
He thought the kid was being an ungrateful idiot.
“Suit yourself. You’ll regret it. And by then it’ll be too late to come crawling back.”
Keran closed his eyes, making it clear he was done talking.
Grubb huffed, annoyed at being brushed off.
He shot Keran one last glare and fell silent.
The truck stopped far from the main station, at a stretch of fence marked with hazard warnings.
A heavy gate stood set into the barrier.
It looked like a dedicated military supply route.
An officer in light power exoskeleton armor stood in the guard booth by the gate.
Tiny streams of data flickered across his helmet visor as he ran real-time identity checks on everyone passing through.
The smuggler slipped a stack of credits through the fence.
The officer glanced down at it.
The screen on his wrist terminal flashed once.
He smiled, satisfied, and opened the supply gate to let the group of stowaways through.
“Follow the officer. He’ll take you to the outskirts. No more checkpoints, no more questions,” the smuggler said.
The officer said nothing as he led the way.
They wound past military buildings and out of the checkpoint compound.
At last, the skyline of the West District stretched out before them.
The skyscrapers glinted cold silver and blue in the sunlight.
Small shuttles zipped along aerial lanes between the buildings, leaving thin trails of light in their wake.
In the distance, a massive circular tower hovered in midair, held aloft by thick beams of energy connecting it to the ground.
The stowaways scattered, each going their own way.
Grubb shot Keran one last nasty glare and stormed off.
Keran walked down the street in his tattered, ragged clothes.
Passersby gave him disgusted looks and hurried out of his way.
Seven days of trekking through the forest plus two days on a livestock maglev had left him smelling absolutely rancid.
Giant holographic billboards hovered above both sides of the street, silently cycling through advertisements.
Glowing blue energy lanes ran along the pavement for small hover cars.
The sleek, futuristic scenery made his dirt-caked appearance feel all the more absurd.
No credits meant you got nowhere in the city.
He had to drink from a plaza fountain when he got thirsty.
The most valuable thing he owned was probably the set of clothes he had not changed out of in seven days.
None of that was a real problem, of course.
Half an hour later, Keran walked out of a department store in a brand new outfit.
Crisp white shirt, black pants.
He leaned against a wall, casually smoking a cigarette, smoke curling around his face.
[Skill Unlocked: Asset Requisition Lv1]
Effect: Increases success rate when acquiring goods owned by others.
He glanced down at the new notification and raised an eyebrow.
Pickpocket?
Please.
You have no proof.
I’ll sue for slander.
The money he’d taken from those street goons had been stolen from other drifters anyway.
He had just borrowed it for a better cause.
Put simply, he was redistributing resources to someone who could actually put them to good use.
And besides, he considered himself a man of principle.
For six months, he had been poked and prodded on experiment tables, and he had never even said a harsh word.
That level of patience should qualify him for Dawn City’s “law-abiding citizen certification.”
Steal?
Please.
This was nothing more than a temporary loan, born of necessity.
Context was everything.
It was totally understandable.
Completely justifiable.