by Han Yang
“And where is the local bank?”
“We stopin not far from the closest one. I’m June, gotta ask in Langshire,” she said, almost in a flirty tone. “The lasses are gonna eat you alive. Pretty with an accent and a charming politeness.” The trolley rolled to a stop. “Good luck Bradley, yer gonna need it.”
I stepped off the trolley, thanking her for her time. She gestured at the bank.
After leaving the machine I needed a moment to take in the sight of the city. Gone were the fields and minimal steambot, replaced by an organized chaos of bodies, robots, steam, and animals.
The road was semi-busy with people wearing tight leather clothing that spoke of having wealth. The sun glistened off extra buckles, buttons, and shiny modifications.
A lot of the fancy ladies and their gentlemen went with silver or gold hands, showing they likely never ventured for an adventure.
Steambots hissed with creaks as they swept up dung from horses clomping along the road. While I did see a few carriages pulled by steam engines, the majority were tugged by horses or oxen.
There was an angry snort from behind me. My jaw dropped, seeing a lady riding a mechanical bull with red eyes. I stepped off the road for the sidewalk and she winked with a wave.
Where the hell was I? This place is awesome!
I soaked in the machines mixed with life. This was a commerce section of town. The towering high rises for apartments were deeper in the city and likely obscuring the port. I saw vendors with steam carts, shops selling specific items for daily life, and even a few adventuring stores.
Noticeably absent were children. I saw a few, but not many. Not nearly enough to sustain this population. Leading me to assume that hydrox must really extend life. I needed to ask that or get a book sooner or later.
A toot of a horn sent a blast of steam out of a big steamwagon. The whine was loud and the stench of fish was horrendous. This was a big hauler moving a catch for a fish market I saw off to my distant left.
“Outta the way ya daft idiot!” The driver cried out to a wagon stopped in the road.
One other thing pulled my attention, giving me hope that I’d love it here: electricity.
Signs buzzed, flicking in their power. Lights inside buildings bled that ugly yellow hew. If there was electricity, no shit in the streets, and pretty girls galore… I think I may have been put in a unique version of heaven.
With a wicked grin on my face, I crossed the street excited to start my new life.
CHAPTER 6
“Thanks again for all your help, Rubert,” I said with a smile to the bank teller.
“Anytime Bradley of Ocarna. Anytime. Have a merry day,” Rubert said with a rapid wave that made his old flappy skin shake.
My trip to the bank had been delightfully boring. I was wealthy, to an extent. Compared to a baron I was poor, while compared to an average dock worker, I was rich. As an adventurer needing lots of items, well, Rubert said I might have enough.
The problem was I needed a place to stay. He said Seagers, an apartment building known for its views, just added three new floors. While that statement was concerning, it piqued my curiosity to the point l wanted to investigate.
I was amused by the concept of simply adding onto a roof to expand upwards. There weren’t toppled buildings in the street so it probably worked fine on Gearnix.
Rubert was helpful, but the conversations dragged on for hours. He told me purchases here were done one of two ways. Direct exchange of goods or services, for coin or hydrox, was common.
The other was the bank issued me a pocket watch with a unique stamp engraved on the cover. If I bought a steam powered saw sword that was more than my coins on hand, I’d indent a paper with my stamp. Sign my name exactly the same as I did in a private room earlier, and the merchant would send a runner to the bank. Those transactions were called clearing transactions.
Rubert also told me that many Langshire residents spoke common cleanly. It was the lazy ones who resorted to heavy slang. He then rambled on for what felt like hours about his granddaughter.
Eventually a manager saved me and I was off to see the port. I left the busier commerce section for towering tightly packed apartments. There were fewer expensive carts passing by the patrolling guards.
The road dirtied here, the lights dimmed, and the alleyways appeared ominous. Different stenches of refuse wafted out from between the buildings. I saw dirty clothing, worn with time, and exposed with tears.
More than a few of these folks were missing enhancements, probably selling them after falling on hard times. I quickened my pace, sticking to the middle of the road. An argument between what was likely two intoxicated women garnered the attention of the law enforcers.
I smirked, letting the situation amuse me.
The distraction… Well, that was when I felt a hand slide across the hip of my belt.
A thief!
There was nothing of value on my belt. Roiling with anger I turned, unable to see the culprit. The press of bodies behind me kept me walking forward.
My attempts to yell curses at the dastardly snake were dashed because the mass hid the thief, letting them get a clean getaway. After frowning at the altercation, I smiled that I had no belt purse.
Eventually the compact tower darkness broke for a few wide open parks and an open vendor market.
There was a big sigh of relief when I left what was likely the city slums. I stopped on a bench overlooking a park to inspect my bag. It was opened, causing my heart to fall. I saw the big book on the top.
With rapid breathing, I hastily rummaged to find every one of my coin purses still in the bag. Using that tome as a block was a brilliant accident. A few lessons were learned. One of them was to avoid the slums or hire a ride to get through them.
I frowned, considering the fight between the women was maybe a setup. Gearnix was opening my eyes to its darker side. These fine folks on their big machines though, they rose above the fray. I’d just need to earn more to become something greater than I already was.
After tying a few extra knots into the latch on my bag, I stepped off for the docks again. My nose led the way. Fresh salty air was combined with the smell of algae and fish.
The area in downtown Langshire was unique in its expansive odd architecture.
There were no alleyways. Instead the space between apartments were parks, with bright lighting and neat community setups either for pets or children. I saw fewer and fewer cart animals until I reached matching big barns on the left and right side of the road.
Both of these buildings held a stench of manure and hay. The stables also had second and third floors. Poles in the road had signs that said animals were prohibited past this point.
I figured out the why quickly. There was a huge main street at the next intersection. Additional machines bustled with the heavy pedestrian traffic. Signs told me that the way left would lead me into casinos, inns, adult content in the shape of a dancing lady, and another shopping district. To the right were docks and apartments.
Advertising was prominent here. Buildings bristled steampunk signs, selling their attraction points. Pedestrians were given wide walkways while motorized traffic went one direction per side of the road.
The downtown aspect brought reminders of home with eateries, bars, and even working girls as well as guys showcased on balconies. This was Langshire’s proverbial strip and it was glorious. Through the crowded masses I did pick up on the heavier police force that guarded stores, businesses, banks, and parks.
I… felt secure here. Like I belonged. A smile spread across my face when I saw Seagers. The towering structure rose over a hundred feet with three shiny new floors. A vacancy sign buzzed, flickering for attention.
“Get yer adventuring gear!” a voice shouted out from only a few feet away.
My neck swiveled to see a grinning toothless man enjoying the fact he’d caught my attention. I was waved for the store, his gesture not enticing in the slightest.
Ho
nestly, it didn’t hurt to do a bit of browsing. Having a baseline on pricing would help me if I did intense shopping. The problem was I was near the docks, on a main strip of town. That meant expensive rent, which translated into higher prices.
I was about to divert when, in the next store over, I saw a gorgeous lady working a back counter… Her shop was smaller with better organization and fewer shoppers. I… I was a tad smitten by her beauty.
I bypassed the toothless man, heading into the lady’s store. I walked beyond the rows of steambots for sale, and drifted just to be near the white haired maiden.
She wore a frilly top with a rich billowing red trim. Her right ear was silvery, and the hat she wore contained swivel down optic enhancers.
A mechanical right hand was blocky, the size of a paw almost, telling me she had an advanced upgrade. I frowned, losing all hope when I saw she had a wedding band around her wrist. The stunning ones normally were married and my sneaky ways were not something I’d tempt in a town with legal prostitution.
I did find myself stuck in a row of steambots and decided to make the most of my situation. These knee-high variations held signs that displayed two things. Price and purpose. When I saw bronze pricing, I had to recall what Rubert told me during his ramblings.
Value of coins went tin, gold, silver, and bronze was the most expensive. Two hundred tin coins equaled a gold coin and so on. Why two hundred instead of one, well, I got lost in the explanation that Rubert rambled on about. I did remember an orb of hydrox from the rats was estimated at a silver, maybe two. Enough for a few nights in a nice hotel or a week's worth of eating out.
The big gorilla was a few bronze coins and could afford a man a nice life for almost a year without going into too much excess. Made sense to me since I might have died without having the cave nearby.
Each of the steambots… just didn’t have that ‘I gotta have’ vibe. I did find them cute and awesome. I saw steambots for general cleaning were a few dozen silver in basic models. I would need to understand them better before buying one anyway.
I felt a tap on my thigh. A lad no older than ten held a hand out. He was in ratty clothing and missing his mechanical arm. A wooden peg was in place of his foot.
I frowned, kneeling down to his level. “Where’s yer upgrades?” I asked in my best Gearnix.
“Sold fer food, Mista.”
I heard footsteps coming from behind. “Darvin, getcha outta here before Leon flays ya,” the pretty lady said.
I had shifted a few coins to my vest pocket for this very purpose. After fishing a golden quarter-sized coin out, I firmly placed it in the boy's palm.
“Food. For you. If I hear from Miss -”
“Mrs. Holina,” the lady said. “I wouldn’t.”
“That you misused the coin, you’ll never see another from me.”
The boy ran off shrieking with a boisterous laugh and leaving me completely puzzled. I rose to look at Holina in confusion.
“You’re daft,” she said, folding her arm. Her facial expressions backed up that she thought I was an idiot.
“He’s not poor is he?” I asked
She shook her head. “Tis Baron Grumm’s son. Yer pretty with foreigner clothes. Easy target for a rich kid to con.”
“I… I…” I wanted to say I didn’t know you could take off steamparts from your body easily. But... Now I did. “Lesson number twelve since arriving in Langshire. So… go easy on me please.”
“Not likely. What brought you into me Pa’s store besides this pretty face?”
I blushed. “You caught me looking?” She nodded. “Ah… I killed a big gorilla type beast and swore to myself I’d buy something to help retrieve the heart easier.”
“A steamblade would do that trick. What did ya kill it with?” she asked and I exposed the end of the blunderbuss. “Oh… a basic at level four… I actually believe you. Interesting. Your garb, which city nation?”
“Ocarna,” I said.
“Never been that far. I have heard they breed warriors and are a fighting nation. Where’s yer wife?” She asked. I smirked with a shrug.
“Yer in fer a world of hurt pretty boy.”
“June, the trolley lady said as much,” I mentioned.
Holina shook her head with an eye roll. I grew confused and she wagged a finger at me. “Don’t go shopping in the slums. Stick to the main strips or the gates. Let me guess she recommended -”
“Some belly place,” I said and this elicited a rolling laugh. “And then Marry’s for entertainment.”
“Marry’s is nice, overpriced, but even I go there for a nice wine and a good tune. Bellies Boom and More is in the slums. It is a front for the pickpockets and thieving guilds. We send an armored wagon, buy cheap there, and resell here to fools like you. Neat cycle, right?” Holina said and I scoffed.
“Yeah… It’s actually pretty clever,” I admitted.
She led me to a rack of handheld weapons and let me have a moment to inspect the inventory.
A steambot walked over, handing her a tool of some kind. I saw there was a video screen on the cover. She accepted it, reading some details.
She returned the tool to the steambot, focusing on me again.
“That sword on yer hip can I see it? Please.”
I handed her the weapon and she chuckled. “This isn’t a saw, ya ruined the edge. It is also too light. A youngling could wield this.”
“Got stuck in a rat bone,” I admitted.
“Most Huntas, as we call them here, use ranged weapons. When they go to melee they use a weapon like this, just better. Then when it's time to collect…” she reached down to grab a long dagger with toothy blades on it. I averted my eyes as her dress came up and her bust pushed out.
“Hey, ya not liking what yer seein?” her slang came with a sassy attitude.
“It’s not that, just improper in Ocarna. If I wanted to see you in such a manner I’d invite you into my room.”
She snickered, handing me the weapon to inspect. “Is that an offer?”
“Seagers is my next stop, and no. I’d avoid offering a married woman my company,” I said in a dry tone that hurt to say.
“Interesting. Ya need a lady to help fix yer flaws. I may know a lass or two,” Holina said and I didn’t react.
I was way too focused on the eight inch hand blade. It was a mini-chainsaw that ran on steam and would have saved me hours of work with the gorilla body.
“How much?” I asked.
“That’s the basic at ten silver, it’ll consume more H than an advanced blade. But those cost more.” She leaned in close. “Buy the cheap, resell it when you end up doing a whole lot of cutting.” She backed up, raising her voice. “I got a special on the advanced model. Thirty seven silver, normally fifty.”
I smiled. I think either she felt bad for me, or my charisma stat from good looks were playing a role. I didn’t know and I didn’t trust anything. What was a certainty was the promise I made to myself.
“Eight, for the basic,” I said and she beamed a smile. “Drat, I offered too much.”
She confirmed with a happy shrug. I followed her to the counter. Her blue eyes kept stealing glance in a flirtatious manner that was leaving me confused.
“You got a book that teaches children the ways of Gearnix?”
“Sure, but they’re for children.” There was a laugh like I was telling a joke. For the first time I saw real empathy from her when my shoulders slumped from being teased. “Why are you like this?”
I opened and then closed my mouth, trying to find the right way to answer that. “You hear about that missing blimp?” She bobbed her head. “I lived when I should have died. The… crash left me clueless and now I’m lost in a new city that is trying to rob me ten different ways.
“The only thing I know is to be polite and honest while trying my best. The people of Langshire… They’re worse than I expected. Might just live in the wilds once I get a steambot, weapons, and learn what is what. I can’t do that through
people apparently and hence the books.”
She left with swelling eyes for a back room. I stood there wondering why she suddenly grew a conscience. Maybe she always had one and hated her work. She did warn me not to give the kid a coin.
An older man who resembled Holina came out looking confused and puzzled. When his eyes locked onto me, understanding spread on his expression.
“She’s too soft for this world. I got three guides on Gearnix. Which would ya like?” he asked.
“Assuming the price is fair, all of them,” I said.
“Silver each, don’t haggle, that’s the cost. Seven for the blade, three for the books?” he asked and I went into my bag to retrieve the coins.
After placing the coins on the wooden counter he stuffed the items into my bag. “I got an adventuring pack that comes off the back and you can drag on wheels. Custom creation that I used when I’d brave the wilds. Next time bring the gorilla meat back. Wild’s meat has bits of magic that help counter aging. Not a fortune, but worth a bit of hassle.”
He’d been listening. I saw him steal a glance at the blunderbuss in the bag. “Seems like the wilds are teeming around here,” I said.
“To an Ocaran, yeah, they would be. Langshire isn’t known for its warriors. Hell, a lot of the areas near the sea aren’t. Can make a really good living here if you get good out there. What’s your name?” he asked.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. This was a man who used to brave the wilds. I could trust his words as honest and his plain talk was refreshing. Maybe I was a fool, but deep down I didn’t think so. I offered my forearm.
“Bradley, and yours?”
“Leon.” Let me check your stats real quick. It’ll help me judge ya.”
I gave him a confused glance. “Um… like a weapon rating?”
“Close and I’m nosy, so I know you’re missing something. This device goes into your H slot on you augment. It’s how the guilds and mercenary companies figure out pay, chart progress, and a good baseline for you. The device pulls your information from the magic in your body through Gearnix and into here,” he said pointing to a blank display screen.
