Eventually, Kael resumed questioning the old man, paying less attention the the scenery going by, as it had been nothing but rolling hills and farmland for a few minutes now. Though they had evidently turned toward the southwest at some point, and he could see some taller peaks further south, still too far to make out any detail.
Shaela sat in the back of the wagon playing with one of their centurion tokens, dropping it from hand to hand before 'pocketing' it to send it down again. Gus merely rested his eyes, taking the chance to relax while the journey was peaceful.
Kael's voice broke the calm, putting words to the question he had been harboring for a while. "But what's a Polemos?"
The old man pursed his lips, giving his beard a single tug as he took a moment to think. He began slowly. "Easiest way to sum it up is total war."
The carriage glided down the path, barely kicking up dirt behind them. The horse issued nary a complaint as it pulled its cargo, somehow stepping softly enough that no noise reached the driver's bench.
"Fer as much as the Dome gets purported as a lawless land, the centurions do lay down some rules..." He ran his hand through his beard more gently. "Like I said before, Battle would rather keep a good amount of people around to fight - or available to wage war for his amusement - so he has his men keep things somewhat civil most of the time. Wider scale attacks generally need permission from the centurion in charge of the area, assuming you can find 'em, since they like to roam."
The man gave a little smile when he reached the word 'roam,' before continuing his explanation. "Sometimes they're doin' work for the realm, but more often they're off on their own tasks. Their leashes ain't held too tightly most o' the time; half their job is keepin' Battle entertained when he gets the itch. Otherwise, he don't care much outside o' keeping things ready for the Polemos."
Kael thought back to Lilith, who didn't seem to have an issue razing a town and everyone in it, though he supposed that could be seen as serving the realm...
As if he could sense Kael's thoughts, the man continued, "Attacking civilians is also strongly discouraged, though enforcement of that is a bit less consistent. People are expected to defend themselves most o' the time, though they can also petition for stronger protection, rare as that can be."
His hand flung out, sending his beard flying. "All that goes out the window every 20 years, though.
"The gloves come off, and the biggest warlords sweep through the realm, conscripting everyone they can, to prepare for whatever grand war game Battle decides will happen first. People usually start gathering at the citadels beforehand, where it's mostly safer than bein' in the wilds. That way they can also try to get a better job than they would as fresh conscripts and baggage for the armies."
"Or... they try to leave, like you three." While the old man gave a little smile, the three of them held deadly serious expressions at hearing what would be happening to their home.
"Used to be he'd muster chunks o' his land into armies and send 'em into the neighboring domains to wage war. Think the dragon realized that wasn't sustainable though, or maybe he got told off for it by the other lizards. Maybe before that he did something else to keep entertained." His hands continued waving as he spoke.
"You lot were probably born in the wake of the last one... and there ain't many kids under 10 where you're from, am I right?"
While the old man rambled, Kael assured him he was still listening as he clambered into the back to rejoin Shaela and Gus.
"Should we go back?" Gus asked quietly, his usual surety buried under the hand he had wrapped around his lower face.
Kael spoke up, "Would we even be much help? They've still got Aether and aunt Anna, along with the others. I dunno how much we could really do, and they sent us out for a reason."
Gus responded more harshly, "But you heard what he said. Total war. That's not something they can avoid with a few tricks. They need every hand they can get. We shouldn't be out here! I'm gonna get him to bring us back."
"Gus, no." Shaela denied.
Their driver called out, ensuring his voice carried, "The little lady is right. The next Polemos still a few years off. No reason to put all the effort you went through getting out of the Dome to waste. If yer really determined to go back, you should build yourselves up while you're out here, take advantage of the opportunities you've got now."
He continued as the trio all turned to him. "Grow your facets, develop your abilities, make connections, maybe join a sellsword company or hire them yerselves, hehe. Lots o' ways you could help yer home with a few years to prepare..."
The ride continued, though Kael had to blink as he looked out front and realized the distant mountains were now far closer, and that the one they approached didn't seem to be a mountain at all. He climbed back to the front bench, absorbing the view of the bizarre structure.
Their apparent destination was actually a vertical metropolis, larger than any he had ever seen - though that wasn't saying much, in his case.
It spanned miles into the air, though that alone wasn't why he called it vertical. It was vertical, because the streets and buildings actually seemed to run up a sheer surface, as if the whole city was built along the outside of a giant pillar, with gravity pulling everything toward its center, instead of down toward the planet's surface. He could see, in the distance, people walking and vehicles rolling along the sides of the pillar as if those sides were the ground itself.
Looking down, the base of the city possessed a gradual incline. Kael could see distant vehicles traversing the road, gradually tilting up as they ascended until they fit in with the rest of the city, aiming straight upward.
At the same time, taller structures and runways stuck out of the mega-structure like branches of a grand tree, with airships of different shapes and sizes flying around like birds in its branches, twisting under the different gravitational fields.
Imagining it was already making him dizzy, especially as he realized he had looked down to see those on the planet's surface, meaning they - in this carriage - were already in the air, without the three of them having realized. The horse continued walking on air as if nothing was wrong - in contrast to the other flying vehicles, which all seemed designed specifically for the purpose of flying...
He gripped the bench forcefully, hesitating to ask, "When did..."
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The old man spoke over Kael's half-formed question, making sure Gus and Shaela could hear from the back. "And this here be Jacoby's city, Scithio. Not really his, o' course, just where he's based out of, but he's got about half of it under his umbrella, and he runs a good show. Treats his people well, compared to most other barons in this prime-forsaken country."
The buildings rarely seemed to be made from wood, instead containing an inordinate amount of glass and metal, and were otherwise build from stone. They sprung out much taller than Kael was used to, several stories held together either from the material or by the odd gravity keeping them along the sides of the pillar.
Bridges also ran between the taller structures, like vines dangling from the city's branches, adding another layer of "verticality" to the confusing mess.
"So he's strong, then?" Gus had stood up from the back, leaning out the front of the carriage to get a better look around, then mimicking Kael's grip when he noticed the irregularities about their situation. Namely, that the horizon was no longer visible, as they were facing nearly straight up, and the narrow strip of ground that they could see - the city itself - was hundreds of feet below them, except for the rare structure that reached close to their "height."
The old man waggled his hand. "You could say that, though strength don't mean much the same thing you're thinking, bein' from the Dome and all."
He continued before either boy could speak up, "He's certainly got people who can protect his assets, but violence isn't the first line o' defense here, or in most cities. Gotta be aware o' that before you pick a fight. 'S more about the law, and 'ownership.'" He spat the last word. "Not just the kind you're familiar with."
The old man's beard began another tugging session, ignoring the fact that they were flying, or even acknowledging the peculiarity of the city's structure as he spoke about its politics. "Even people can be 'owned' here, and jurisdictions like to pile up in a convoluted mess... with land changin' hands in hightower deals, buildings shifting around like the phase o' the moon, and 'logistical responsibilities' puttin' blame on everyone but the owners, Scithio can be tricky to navigate.
"Not to mention debts... debts to the dragon, debts to the governor, debts to employers..." He shook his head.
"You don't just mean monetary debts?" Shaela asked from the back, having resumed her game with the token and her pocketspace.
"Hah, no." The amusement was brief. "If you owe money, you're a slave 'fore you can blink, unless someone's feelin' mighty generous, which is like finding a dragon givin' away its scales." His hand bloomed, as if conjuring something magical.
"Still, 'tis one of the better cities, under Wealth. And mostly peaceful." Gus and Kael watched as an airship lifted off from a docking bay along the side of one of the giant runways, where various crafts were unloaded and maintained. The giant balloon ascended upward (according to the planet's orientation) until a smaller craft zipped by and deposited a man atop the balloon.
He did something which caused the balloon to abruptly slide sideways through the air, as if it were slapped by a giant, until it came close enough to the pillar for its gravity to kick in, pulling half the balloon toward the city while the other tried to continue floating upward. The buoyancy kept it together, with the half nearer to the city now "rising" into the other half, though the shape of it warped into a more rounded configuration as the air tried to push into itself, causing the cabin below to swing upward toward the city - then fly off the balloon as it tore away, plummeting toward the city while the majority of the balloon fluttered toward the ground a mile below. The smaller craft, and the man, had long since disappeared.
Their driver seemed oblivious to the event, much as he was to their reactions. He wagged his finger. "Not to say there's no fightin' at all. Smaller conflicts break out all the time. And the bigger players each have their own security, 'course, but they rarely get used overtly. No one wants the governor's forces crackin' down on ya. Lots o' golems - if a bit less after Ilythrio showed the flaws with them - lots o' men, and the tax collectors ain't pacifists, neither..."
"'N if yer really too loud, you get the Majordomo's own men comin' after ya, on Wealth's behalf. Gets 'em everything he wants from any o' the cities, and what he wants is usually whatever's most valuable that day, or anything too precious rolling through. Got to be a bit careful, when you've got it made. Shovelin' enough money into the dragon's coffers to keep the taxman happy, without attracting his direct attention."
"'S also why you can be assured there won't be accidents with the Pillar itself." He finally gestured toward the city, acknowledging its unique feature. "The core of the city runs up through the center, and it regulates the gravitational enchantments. Best guarded place in the city, and messin' with it's a sure way to drag the golden boys out here."
While that alleviated the pair's concern about the city itself - somewhat - Kael spoke up with the more urgent question, "And the flying?"
The old man nodded. "Right, the airships. Similar to the automobiles on the ground, they're mostly straight outta Artifice's domain." The man sounded enthusiastic about the concept.
They were also close enough to the pillar itself by this point that Kael could see, and somewhat hear, horseless carriages on the streets, growling like beasts and spewing smoke from their tails as they bullied their way through traffic down the stone roads. Most foot traffic he could see stayed to closer to the buildings, at least.
"They don't rely on enchantments like most times you'd see such a thing. Makes 'em easier to make by the batch, and to spread all over, on account of not being bottlenecked by needin' some tricky combo of facets." He waved off the latter idea.
The man continued, again, before Kael could clarify his question. "Trade flows freely between the realms, though it's slowed a bit since Ilythrio burned. The denizens of Wealth are pretty good customers, though, 'specially since Artifice don't bother settin' up wider production for most things himself, meanin' there's hefty profit to be made in licensing, manufacturing, and distribution.
"You'll especially see new things 'round Scithio, bein' we're right next to Artifice's lowtown, where most o' the things you see here are first made." The old man gestured toward the other visible "mountain," dozens of miles away. That one seemed to actually be a mountain, at least, though Kael could vaguely make out some man-made structures sticking up from its cliffs.
"We're close to another border? How can that be, if we're still just out of Battle's domain?" Shaela spoke up once again, beginning to stand from her position in the back, so she could get a look out front with Gus.
"Whaddya mean?" The man glanced back at her. "We're hundreds of miles from where y'all came out of the dome, now." He tried to keep a straight face, but some amusement leaked through at their disbelieving expressions.
"How's that possible? The sun's barely moved..." Kael contorted his head to find the sun from their twisted angle, as they were already under the warped gravity of the city, closing in on the streets. "Did you really speed us up that much? It didn't feel like it..."
"S'what I do." The old man gave a little shrug, definitely taking pleasure in their reactions now. "And this here be your stop, I think."
They finally touched ground again - if the side of the giant pillar could be called ground - and slowed to a stop along the side of the street. The old man had pulled up in front of a busy office, with foot traffic flowing in and out, and a sign above declaring it to be a recruiting office for Jacoby's Acquisitions.
He spoke up, "Jacoby's a good sort, I'd recommend tryin' to get set up with one o' his projects 'fore any others. They'll get you situated with a place to stay, as well, if needed."
Kael stretched his arms before standing, deciding not to mention the flight, as plenty of other hilarity had consumed his attention. "Thanks, old man. For the ride, and the conversation." Gus and Shaela concurred - Gus a bit shakily and Shaela confidently - as they clambered down.
Kael spoke up once more before he hopped down as well, turning to the man. "Oh, and we never got your name."
The old man just blinked, already looking elsewhere. "Just call me Travel. Don't got much use for a name, no more. Haven't used it in near 20 summers."
Taken aback a bit by the response, Kael turned his head toward Gus and Shaela, who were busy taking in their surroundings up close.
When Kael turned back to Travel, however, he and his cart were already gone.