Steamforged Sorcery - Chapter 53 (Patreon)

Silver distributed the jerky from within the bag he’d found and they departed the empty tavern, walking at a pace that was only a step below a jog. Starfall’s flowing rooftops and walls made it difficult to make out one building from another, but a large flat topped dome near the center of the city seemed like a good place to start.

The group made their way through the large, empty streets. There wasn’t a single sign of life along the way. Abandoned carts lined the road and empty storefronts stood, some lanterns still burning.

Their pace subconsciously increased, turning down side streets and dipping through alleys towards the large building. By the time they finally reached it, every fiber of Angel’s body was begging him to run.

Two large doors hung open at the front of the building, providing access to a large, flowing stairwell that led up towards its roof. There were a dozen doors inside the building, each carved with a different ornate design.

“They really didn’t spare any expenses with the decoration,” Lilian said as they walked into the building and started towards the stairs.

“It would be more beautiful if it wasn’t so unsettling,” Vanessa said. “Did anyone see a chopper on the roof?”

“It would have been stored just underneath it,” Silver said. “There should be slots in the roof that open to allow choppers to fly out. If they were kept outside, they’d get caught in sandstorms and get damaged.”

The stairs terminated before a large hangar. A dozen skyships of steel and copper sat untouched before them, glimmering faintly in the sunlight that shone down through big square holes in the ceiling. There were more than a few choppers, ranging from a step above a flying heap of junk to beautifully crafted works of art.

“The hangar is full,” Silver muttered. “Why is it full?”

“Don’t knock good luck,” Angel said, walking up to the nearest chopper and peering inside. There were four metal seats with rough canvas belts. It didn’t look like the most comfortable ride, but it seemed structurally sound. “Can you fly any of these?”

“Most of them, probably,” Silver replied. “Not that one, though. It’s a junker – I recognize the make.”

Angel slipped down from it and followed Silver over to a somewhat shoddy looking chopper. The pieces of metal that made it up were mismatched and it was covered with patches that looked like they might have been done midflight.

“This one is reliable,” Silver proclaimed. “Had one just like it before I crashed it a few years back. Don’t worry about the damage. The patches show that this girl knows how to take a hit and live through it.”

“If you say so,” Angel said, peering inside the plain cab. It also had four seats, but they were considerably more scuffed and used than the other chopper’s. “Get us out of here, then.”

He climbed aboard and sat down in the co-pilot’s chair while the others piled in after him. Silver took the captain’s chair and peered at the controls. There were easily several dozen switches and levers beside a large screen on the dashboard.

He pressed several of the buttons and pulled a lever to the side. The screen hummed to life, status messages and information panels flickering to life on it. A frown crossed Silver’s face.

“That’s strange. The location system is all wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Lilian asked, peering over his shoulder at the dashboard.

“It thinks we’re smack dab in the middle of the Barren,” Silver said, tapping a small map. He moved his finger a bit to the side. “But we aren’t – we should be off to the right. Starfall is over here.”

“That’s easily a five or six day travel,” Lilian said. “And we’re definitely in Starfall. Does this location system matter much?”

“Well, not for flight,” Silver admitted. “But I’ve never seen one get messed up either. They function similar to system artifacts – all communicating to some relic probably so that their information is identical.”

“So how would this get messed up?” Vanessa asked.

“A relic, probably,” Silver said after a moment of thought. “Something strong. Some relics have energy fields that extend for several miles and can mess with artifacts or other magic.”

“Could a relic also be the reason why everyone vanished?” Lilian asked.

“I can’t think of any relic that could do anything like that,” Angel said. “They’re powerful, but not enough to make an entire city just… vanish. Vanessa’s theory about everyone going into hiding seems like the most likely, but if that’s the case, what’s the relic doing? You’d think they would have tried to send out a message for help. Say – Silver, do choppers have any way to receive telegraph messages?

“They do,” Silver said. “Some models, at least. I see what you’re getting at, Seeker. I’ll check.”

His fingers danced across the screen and screens flickered, fading away as he pulled up new ones. The former captain’s brows furrowed and he rocked back in his chair.

“Buried gods. The girl was right.”

“What is it?” Vanessa asked, trying to see the screen from her spot in the back seat.

“There was an order for everyone to drop what they were doing and immediately report to something called Bunker A outside of the city. This note says that an unknown entity the size of a mountain arose near the city and seemed to be scanning it. There were apparently even soldiers dispatched to help everyone get to the bunker quickly and safely,” Silver said. “It was sent out two days ago, and there hasn’t been any follow up since it. Maybe this entity is also emitting whatever scrambling field messed with the chopper?”

“That still doesn’t make sense,” Angel said. “If there was a monster of such proportion, why would it just appear and then vanish?”

“Hold on,” Vanessa said. “The bunker was outside the city?”

“That’s what this says,” Silver confirmed.

“That doesn’t make sense. Bunkers are always inside the city, and usually below the Magistrate’s dwellings,” Vanessa said. “Having them outside completely defeats the point.”

They all stared at the screen for a few moments. Angel’s skin prickled as a sudden thought sprung unbidden to his mind.

“It was a bait,” Angel muttered. “There’s no bunker. I don’t think the city sent that message at all. Someone, or something, wanted everybody to leave the city.”

“Buried gods,” Silver swore, his eyes widening. “Why didn’t the Magistrate do anything about it?”

“Do we really want to find out?” Angel asked. “Anything that can deal with a Magistrate could probably easily deal with us. Silver, get this thing in the air.”

Silver nodded, his hands flying across the dashboard again. The metal rotors at the top of the chopper hummed to life, picking up speed quickly. However, the chopper didn’t lift from the ground. Silver pressed several buttons, his brow tightening. “I don’t understand. It won’t take off. Someone check if we’re strapped down.”

Angel peered over the side of the ship and down at the landing rails below them. Thick gray bands rose up from the ground, wrapping around the rails and pinning them to the ground.

“Ah, I think I found our problem,” Angel said. “And I also might have a guess as to why none of the choppers left the city.”

A rumble shook the ground beneath them. Silver’s hands flew across the dashboard and he cursed. “It’s completely scrambled. This was a trap, and we fell for the bait.”

The chopper blades slowed to a stop above them. Angel pressed his lips together, crushing his panic before it could start. Fear was important to understanding limits, but terror would do nothing but kill them all.

“We’re moving,” Angel said. “Whatever that thing is, we’re not staying here. If we get separated inside the city, meet at the tavern. If we get separated outside of the city – Lilian, what’s the closest city?”

“Eden,” she replied as the four of them hurriedly climbed out of the chopper and hopped to the ground. “Two days east.”

“You heard her,” Angel said. “But avoid that if possible. No talking from here on out. I don’t know how that thing hunts, but maybe we’ll get lucky and it won’t bother coming after a few stragglers.”

The ground rumbled again as they darted out from the hangar and down the stairs. Vanessa nearly tripped, but Silver grabbed her by the back of the shirt before she could fall. She gathered her balance and they finished their descent.

Angel reached the door and peeked outside. The city was dark. He blinked, confusion crossing his features. He glanced upwards and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Far above them in the sky, easily as tall and large as a mountain, was a mighty beast.

Huge metal joints connected with rotted flesh, forming a four legged… thing. Calling it a monster would have been a disservice. Its great head was easily the size of the city itself. Two massive hollow craters marked its eyes.

“Buried gods,” Angel breathed, breaking his own rule of silence.

“Literally,” Lilian agreed, staring up with wide eyed horror.