Cyne wasn't sure about bringing her into the city. It would be suspicious. A scavenger leaves for an expedition and then comes back empty-handed with a beauty. He could chalk it up to complications on the expedition, but the others wouldn't buy that. But she refused to wait outside the city limits and frankly his hands were tied.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Cyne asked, slowing the bike as he prepared to bring it in for a landing.

"Not really. I mean I'm a complete stranger to the land, you aren't going to leave me here all alone? Right?"

"Wait here," Cyne said as the bike touched down on the landing pad.

Below them was the busy streets of New Belzan, the biggest, and only city in the surrounding area for hundreds of miles.

Libra hesitantly nodded. "Don't take too long," she said, casting a quick glance at the busy crowd below. Shop-keeps and merchants hawking their wares. Housewives, traders, and mercenaries browsing the booths and shops. Merchants, housewives, traders, and even the odd bounty hunter gathered in the streets to conduct business and contribute to the trade that was the lifeblood New Belzan.

After a brief conversation with the officials, Cyne made his way back to the bike. The girl was gone. Panic overtook Cyne, but he quickly calmed himself, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

Cyne ran down the walkway, pushing and staggering through the bustling crowd. Libra was surrounded by a group of thugs. And judging by their inability to stand straight, they were drunk.

"Why don't… you come with us, we can… show you a fun time, girl," one of them said, his speech slurred and garbled.

"She's with me, so back off," Cyne said, intruding upon their conversation.

"True, I'm with him, so I should be going," Libra chimed, stepping behind Cyne.

"Now just wait a minute, missy! We're members of the guard! We keep them streets safe, so I insist… you should come have a drink with us," another man crowed.

A crowd was forming around them now. Damn busybodies. Cyne didn't want to draw attention but it was looking rough for the duo.

The man marched up to Cyne and prodded him on the chest. "We protect kids like you, so why don't you show us some damn respect," he shouted into Cyne's face, the stench of alcohol hitting him.

Cyne sighed, drew back his neck, and then head-butted the man straight on the nose. He dropped to the floor, blood gushing from his nose. Cheers erupted from the crowd, mixed with a little heckling.

The thugs hesitated momentarily, but Cyne gave them no time to think. Dispatching another thug with a knee to the groin, and by the time he was on the ground, Cyne had already assumed a fighting stance.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The third thug pulled out a thief's dagger from the sheath on his waist and jumped at Cyne, his towards hurtling Cyne's wrist.

Cyne dodged the clumsy strike with ease, sweeping the legs, he sent the thug plunging to the floor. The last thug watched on with calm eyes. He was inebriated like the rest but still had his wits about him.

"Little shit," he spat, drawing his own electro-sword. Cyne followed suit, bringing his blade up to eye-level, he assumed his usual stance.

"Is this is a good idea? Won't the officials get angry?" Libra asked from the side, backing away from the fight.

Cyne didn't answer answering, he was too busy sizing his opponent up. The thug Cyne had head-butted previously leaped off the ground and tackled Cyne. Punching and twisting Cyne managed to free himself— at the cost of his sword.

Now weaponless, Cyne was surrounded by the thugs. The one Cyne tripped onto the ground had already risen to his feet, brandishing his dagger threateningly. The thugs advanced cautiously, boxing him into a circular formation.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot! Maybe I'll take you up on those drinks you were talking about," Libra chimed in, back to back with Cyne.

"Too late for drinks, we're hauling you off to Steelgate," the thug with the sword snarled.

"Steelgate?" Libra asked, scratching her chin. "Is that bad?"

"Very bad, you couldn't have just stayed still?" Cyne groaned, eyeing the guard who stole his sword.

Libra shrugged. "What? I was bored."

"You got us into this mess? Anything to get us out of it?"

The girl nodded, and with the flick of her wrists, darts shot out from her bracers. The dart buried itself into the chest of the thug with Cyne's sword. The thug simply stared at the dart, until the powerful electrical currents sent him convulsing to the floor.

"Run!" Libra shouted, pulling Cyne along with her to the fallen guard. Scooping up Cyne's sword, they shoved their way into the crowd.

A shrill, ear-piercing whistle sent the crowd into pandemonium. The spectators dispersed in all directions. They all knew what the whistles signified, the guards had arrived and were now liable to arrest anyone at the scene of the fight.

The mass confusion and hysteria worked in Cyne's favor, with Libra in tow, they elbowed their way out of the mob, escaping into a narrow alleyway.

The stench of the waste and refuse turned Libra's face pale, but Cyne was well accustomed to the scents of New Belzan. The duo made their way through the maze-like alleys and backstreets of the city, finally stopping at a small, nondescript tavern tucked away in the corner of a narrow backstreet.

The inn-keep, a gray-haired man with a hearty face welcomed the two in warmly. "Take a seat, my daughter will be right over," the middle-aged man said from behind his counter.

Libra drew the eyes of the many young, hot-blooded patrons in the tavern. It was rare to come across such a noble beauty in the city, even rarer to find one in a common man's tavern.

Cyne didn't like all this attention, he reassured himself that it was a fear of drawing unwanted attention, rather than a bout of jealousy but the icky feeling still persisted.

"We need to address… our situation," Cyne said, staring down the legion of young men lining up to greet her.

"What's there to talk about?" Libra said. "I'll be staying with you until I find a way to get off of the rock. I can pull my own weight, so you don't have to worry about me dragging you down."

"And when I leave on expeditions?" Cyne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll just come with you. As I said, I'm more than capable of holding my own."

"Then it's settled. But first thing's first, some new clothes for you. I don't like you sticking out like a sore thumb."

Libra agreed, new clothes wouldn't hurt, her previously white dress was now stained with several day's worth of accumulated dirt and grime.

The inn's serving girl approached their table. Fresh-faced and young, Cyne was willing to vet she was the fixture of many young men in this very inn.

"What can I get you, sir," the girl asked Cyne, giving him a shy smile.

"Water and whatever's cooking."

The serving girl nodded. "And your…?"

Cyne hesitated for a moment.

"Sister," he replied. "She's my sister."