She glances at the Bone Breaker and then back at me. “And Locke?”
I shrug again. “It’s your decision.”
“He stays,” she says immediately, her expression hard.
“Okay,” I nod, and start walking forward again. She stares after me in confusion.
“Okay?” she asks again.
“Okay!” I call over my shoulder, chuckling under my breath. “We should move quickly if we’re going to reach the safehouse before nightfall.” I stare forward. “We don’t want to be out during the night in Smokestack Row.”
“Why not?” She asks as she jogs to catch up before walking beside me. “What happens at night?”
I glance at her. There are no words that she will understand that I can use, so I sigh. “Trust me. We don’t want to be out in that zone at night.”
I can tell she wants to argue, to push, but instead, she decides to trust me even after all the shit I’ve given her. Something in my chest squeezes.
“She’s going to do great things,” I tell Cipher in my mind.
“I know,” he replies. “I’ve always known.”
CHAPTER55
VESPER
The Gilded District is always shining, no matter what time of day. The buildings are seemingly painted in gold as they reach for the sky, their shimmering structures of metal and glass. There hasn’t been a moment since we’ve been in the Gilded District that things have felt darker.
Until we grow closer to Smokestack Row.
It doesn’t show on our maps yet since we’ve never been there, but Havoc had told us its name. Even had he refused to tell us, we would have been able to tell what the area is.
As the Gilded District begins to grow darker, the air starts to grow thicker with smog. We’ve been in the Harrow for almost a month now, and the air has always been clean. The moment we pass into Smokestack Row, it’s like we’ve gone back to Dross again. Except the buildings are a little less decaying and much shorter.
NEW ZONE UNLOCKED: Welcome to Smokestack Row
The notification flashes across my vision for a few seconds before disappearing. I know the map of New Babel will be almost fully unlocked now, but I don’t bother looking at it. Instead, I stare at the new zone before me that’s as close to home as I’ve ever felt since we stepped through that Harrow Gate.
And I’ve never hated it more.
I glance over at Locke, sharing a look between us about the state of this place. We left Dross to escape Black Lung. Apparently, there’s still the possibility of getting it here.
“You sure we can’t skip this Minor Boss?” I say, coughing a little as the thick smog tickles my throat.
“You can,” Havoc says, staring off into Smokestack Row with a displeased expression. “However, this Minor Boss is easy compared to Lady Liberty, and you two need the XP.” He glances at me. “Safehouse first, though. You two need rest.”
I stare at him, wondering if he actually cares about us needing rest, or if he’s fulfilling some sort of role now that he’s accepted he’s traveling with us. I don’t know anything about Wardens except that they’re protectors. I hadn’t lingered on the Glitch when I was looking through them, but I’d known it wasn’t for me. Havoc, however, seems to fit the Glitch well.
The streets in Smokestack Row are just as crowded as the Gilded District, but where those in the Gilded District were dressed in suits and clean clothing, those of Smokestack Row are covered in grime. Here are the workers, the ones covered in coal and dirt, their faces wary. Outside of the NPCs and the players walking through the streets, there are others that lack a face entirely. At least, in the standard sense.
At first, I don’t even notice them. They blend in so thoroughly, it takes me running into one on the street to even realize that there are non-human “people” in the crowd. They walk on two legs, just like me, and they’re human-shaped, but that’s where the similarities end. Because after that, they resemble the buildings more than the flesh and blood of people.
“They’re automatons,” Havoc supplies helpfully when I stare slack-jawed at the walking machine. “Try to avoid the ones dressed in blue.”
“Why?” I ask, finding one of the machines he points out. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Those are Smoke Troops. They’re the acting police force of the zone and they’ll use any excuse to throw you in a cage for a few days. Trust me,” Havoc says, giving the Smoke Troop in front of us a wide berth.
A few days? I can’t waste a few days.
